The Agents Through Africa
by Harmony Valenka Smith
Summary: This is Book Four of The Agents Series and sequel to The Agents on Asia. It started out with a simple notion of adventure. The pattern the bullets made was recognized by many platypuses. It led to a little-known, ancient secret. Like with all secrets though, there is a price to pay for knowing them. Is it really worth it? Rated T for blood, mild violence, and intense scenes.
1. Prologue

**Welcome back, my peoples! This is book 4 of The Agents Series. I've got a little surprise for you guys in this chapter ;D I do not own ****_Phineas and Ferb, _****but I thank the awesome people who brought it into existence. All rights to all products go to their proper owners. So, please enjoy The Agents Through Africa :D**

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Prologue

There were no words. No chance of denial. This was the end. It was very bleak in that little mud hut. Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, and Penelope sat at a small ground-level table. Penelope held onto a cup of steaming liquid. It was very cold, which was odd for that time of year. Isabella nudged Penelope's shoulder and presented a Cat's Cradle to her. Penelope put her little fingers in and the two began moving the string about. Ferb was working on macrame with hay, his fingers working slowly on the project. Phineas just sat in his place, elbows on the table and hands to his cheeks, slouching with the most depressed expression upon his features.

"They should be back by now," said Phineas worriedly as he looked at the door.

Penelope was in the middle of winding string around as she said, "I do admit that this is longer than I had predicted of them to be gone, but they'll return. We have no worries there."

"What happens if they don't come back though? We've gotta go out there and look for them," said Phineas, rising and heading for the door. Penelope whipped the shoelace around and tripped the boy into falling on the ground.

"If I let you go after him, not only would I be breaking a promise, but I would also be sending you to your death." Penelope unwrapped the string from the boy's ankles. He went back to the table and sat back down. "Don't worry. If anyone can survive the horrors that await out there, it's my Perry."

Just then, the door burst open and shut to reveal little Maxwell. Fear was in his eyes and a bloody hand print was on his head. Penelope rushed to her son and enveloped him in a hug. Max shook with fear and hugged tightly to his mother. Penelope hummed a song to soothe him and it helped a little. "I saw Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Father and Rosalynn and..." he broke into a sob. Penelope hugged him close. She brought him to the table where the only source of light in that hut came from one small candle.

"It's going to be all right, Max," said Penelope, running her fingers through the fur at the top of his head (the non-bloodied part).

"No, Mother, I do not think it shall." Penelope looked to Phineas, trying to seek hope from the ever-optimistic boy. Phineas put out his arms and Penelope handed Max over to him. "Uncle Phineas, do you think everything will be all right?" The little platypus had formed a kinship with Phineas over the course of the adventure. He looked up to him. If Phineas lost hope... then all hope was gone.

Phineas smiled slightly. "I think it will be," he said. He still had a small glimmer of hope. That glimmer was only about as bright as the candle in the room though. Too much had happened. Even the smallest light can shine in the deepest darkness, but sometimes, when one is far enough away, the darkness stifles the light. Hope works the same way in bleak times. Little Max let out a shuddering sigh and hugged Phineas tight, his tears subsiding. Penelope went over to the bowl of water in the room and got a cloth wet. She dabbed this on Max's head, cleaning him off, but not before sniffing it. The gasp she made nearly took her breath away. "What is it?" asked Phineas.

"This- this is Perry's blood," said Penelope, her voice quivering. There was a loud banging at the door then. Everyone in the room jumped.

"They have followed me here. I had hoped they had not," said Max, his voice timid with fear. He hid his head in the crook of Phineas's arm. Penelope's face was already drained of blood from the fear in her heart that this experience had instilled, but now... she didn't know how much more she could take.

"Stay here, children," said Penelope. Children. That was a rare word for Penelope to use. It was clear her happy, calm state of mind was long left behind. This place... this experience had done well enough to help with that. She went to the door, humming to herself all the while. She edged toward the door as if expecting it to eat her. "_Ya da da da... ya da da da..._" Penelope winced as she gripped the door handle. She had her head turned away from the door, eyes shut tight. She was making incoherent noises, the noises of extreme nervousness... and fear. She yanked it open quickly, only letting herself be exposed to the outside. Nothing happened._  
_

Penelope opened her eyes to the dark, foggy night. She looked carefully and took a shaky step closer. She didn't dare to make a sound any more than necessary. She stepped closer, her feet feeling the fog tickling her toes. Her breath added to the fog as it went in and out deeply. She felt a shiver, then, felt something pull her leg into the dark. She screamed and grabbed the edge of the hut. Something had her. Phineas got up and grabbed Penelope's arms, trying to pull her in. Whatever it was had great strength. Then, whatever was holding her let go and she fell into Phineas's arms. She looked into the fog and saw Doofenshmirtz come up.

"It's okay, it's just me," said Dr. Doofenshmirtz. He came in, two boxes under his arm. They were both black wooden boxes and Penelope couldn't help but notice how like coffins they were. The scientist put them down beside the table and, as he did, one of the boxes lids popped open and Rosalynn rose out of it. Penelope and Isabella had screamed at this. Rosalynn jumped out of the box quickly, then shoved it off of the other one. She appeared to be really shaky, but nonetheless worse for wear. She went to open the other box, but something made her stop. She ran over to Ferb and hid by his side.

"Doctor, forgive me for asking this, but why did you bring my daughter back in a coffin?" asked Penelope.

Doofenshmirtz waved a hand, batting it away. "It was on hand... besides, I had to get them out of there somehow," he said.

"So, I can assume that in that one...?" Penelope asked, pointing to the other box. Doofenshmirtz nodded sadly. Up until this point, Penelope hadn't left Phineas's arms. Now, she jumped down and made her way to the box. She grasped the lid and shakily removed it. The lid collapsed to the floor with a clatter and Penelope looked inside the coffin to notice her husband, Perry. He was pale, wounded, and out cold. "Perry?" her voice was uneven with fear. She touched a hand to his face, which was cold to the touch. "What have I done?" Tears started falling from her eyes. "It was never supposed to be this way." She laughed bitterly and said, "And to think that this journey had started out so _happy_ and _warm_, and now... everything is _dark_ and _cold_. When did it all go so wrong?" Her mind went back to those first few days, the time before they had realized they had entered an evil land. A time of naivety and light.

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**I'm sorry it had to get _that _spooky. I've been watching creepy game playthroughs and I recently played some creepy games, so... yeah. Also, you will notice that I typically don't get right into the drama in my stories. I begin with fairly light if not entirely light tones. Now, Perry's all out cold! Why is he out cold?! Anyway, perhaps it will all be cleared up in the next chapter. Please keep reading and reviewing to find out what happens. Until I update, you may relax and hold onto your favorite plushie while whispering "It's gonna be all right. It's gonna be okay." in your bed at night. Bwahahahahahaha! (Don't worry, I'm not evil.) Also, before I forget, it's my FanFiction anniversary in a few days. I shall be posting something special on my profile on the day, so keep a look-out ;) See you next chapter :D**


	2. Chapter 1: Light

**I tried. I tried so bloody hard. Paint just doesn't like doing what GIMP does. Well, at least Perry isn't blue. I hope you guys like the cover anyways. *Sigh* Oh, well. As for the story itself, I'm getting some vibes from you guys that the prologue wasn't very satisfying. I regret nothing. This story is going to be a bit darker in some areas than the last stories. I'm going to keep darkness to a minimum, but I'm just warning you now. Also, since Penelope set the scene for a flashback in the prologue, I'm going to go into that now. Surprise! We're going to go back to the beginning of the adventure to find out what happened. So, hopefully no one hates me and hopefully, you guys keep reading. If you choose to stay, then enjoy, but this is your last chance to turn back. Dun Dun Dun! Okay, storytime... now.**

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Chapter 1: Light

Penelope

"_I'm on my way now. I'm up high in the clouds, got nothin' but birds to see. It's the life for me,_" I sang. Perry had given me the controls so that he could go to sleep. (He was awake now, but I still wanted to drive.) We went in shifts like this. Now, we were right over Africa.

"So, now what?" asked Phineas from the backseat.

"Just hang tight and you'll live to see the 8th grade," I said with a laugh. It was a way of saying "Sit back." I was pretty mellow about it though. Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Doofenshmirtz, Perry, the kids, Maxwell and Rosalynn, and myself were all on an adventure.

"Can you at least tell us where we're going?" asked Phineas.

"My boy, we are going to deepest, darkest Africa to find an ancient treasure. Surely you've heard the tale of the platypus warrior Tau?" Blank stares.

"Really? Wow," said Perry.

"Well, who is Tau, then?" asked Isabella.

"He is an ancient warrior from long ago. It is said that he fought some of the most dreaded monsters of our land, like the Drop Bear, the Yara-ma-yha-who, the Muldjewangk, and the Bunyip," I said.

"Didn't he also fight the Moolyewonk as well?" asked Perry.

"Oh, yes, indeed. I forgot about that tale. To think, I forgot the best tale of Tau," I said with a laugh.

"Oh, come on, you're just making those things up to get us all scared," said Doofenshmirtz.

"Oh, no, they existed. They may even still exist, lurking in the darkness. After all, Tau's name means evening or war. It meant he fought against the creatures in the dark that tried to do evil to others. It is most shameful of those creatures," I said. "Now that the creepy part of the legend is out of the way, here's the cool part: Tau had access to the Dreamtime."

"Whoa, whoa, wait, the Dreamtime was supposed to be long over, after the creation of the universe," said Perry.

"That's what I thought too, but after doing some studying, I have found that it is still very possible to enter the Dreamtime. For instance, let me ask you, how long was I dead?" I asked.

"I don't know, a few minutes, maybe five?" asked Perry.

"I was dead seven minutes and gone for seven days," I said.

There was a collective "What?!" from everyone.

"It's true. I went through a period in the spirit world that equated to seven days, all in seven minutes," I said.

"Who told you that you were dead for seven minutes?" asked Perry.

"That's not important. What _is _important is that these old myths are very real and very much still in existence," I said.

"But if the myth is Australian, why are we going to Africa?" asked Rosalynn.

"Simple: Tau was a hunter and he chased these monsters everywhere," I said.

"Across an ocean?" asked Perry.

"He had special powers. One of them was to go through the two different forms of time at will. Dreamtime allows for things you would never begin to imagine," I said.

"So, what does this have to do with the symbol that was ingrained into all of our heads?" asked Perry.

"I'm glad you asked. You see, Tau was one of the most intelligent platypuses to ever exist. As such, he would get bored, so he designed a treasure hunt for only the most brave and clever platypuses out there. That symbol that gets ingrained into all of our heads is the first clue," I said. I was really excited about this.

"So, why did you ask about how long you were dead?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"I asked because while I was dead, I went to the Dreamtime," I explained. "Usually, only people who have the ability to travel or who are in favor with the spirits may go there."

"I thought you _were_ in favor with the spirits," said Perry.

"Well... there are some things I've been neglecting on account of the fact that they're impossible tasks. This is something I think we can do though," I said.

"What is the treasure, exactly?" asked Maxwell.

"No one knows. Some say it is Tau's armor. It was impervious to any sort of damage by blow or fire, yet it was light enough that he could go swimming and not drown. It's made of a special material that no one knows how to make, much less find," I said.

"Others say it might be an ancient weapon of his, like his sword or his spear," said Perry.

"Then, there's the big one: the source of his magic. Some say he got his magic from an amulet he wore around his neck. Others say he got the magic from the spirits and was forced to give the powers back for his successor to take them," I said.

"What do _you _think?" asked Phineas.

"I don't know. I wasn't told. I just hope it'll be half as exciting as I think it's going to be," I said. I looked at Perry and saw him smiling in that way I knew he did when he was thinking I was adorable. "My eyes are sparkling again, aren't they?"

"Not just sparkling, they're violet right now," said Perry. I looked in the rear view mirror and smiled. _So I am, _I thought.

"Well, we have to land soon, we're running out of fuel," I said. We landed in the midst of a savanna, scaring away multiple dik-diks (they are small antelopes, really small). "All right, I'm gonna go see if I can find Batini." I went onto all-fours and went to the nearest hole. It turned out, coincidentally enough, to be a meerkat hole. I tried to get in, but my body was a little bit too wide for the thin meerkat. I sighed and began digging. I heard Perry call my name, but I was too far along to care. I kept digging.

I was soon too far in to see the light of day anymore. By that time, I was wondering why I hadn't seen a meerkat yet. Then, I saw glowing red eyes and I immediately began backing up as fast as I could. When that wasn't enough, I struck upwards and dug up. I eventually made a new hole and ran back over to Perry. The creature that had followed me through the darkness turned out to be a meerkat with a birth defect that made his eyes red.

"_Hey, platypuses in Africa! Ha, ha! What will they think of next?_" said the meerkat. I stood up behind Perry and looked at the meerkat, confused. Another meerkat emerged from the hole, followed by another and another until we were surrounded.

"I think you started an uprising," said Doofenshmirtz.

"Batini? Does anyone know Batini?" I asked. A meerkat I recognized as Batini emerged from the crowd. "Oh, thank the spirits. I didn't think I'd find you." We embraced and she made a shrilling noise, the noise meerkats make, and I said, "Oh, no, thank you, I don't think anyone would fit down there." She made another noise and immediately began burrowing. The others followed suit until there was a hole big enough for a human to fit through. The sunlight got in pretty far in the big hole, but the passage just kept going from there. Batini shrilled again and I said, "Okay then." I waved a hand for everyone to follow.

The tunnel led to a huge main area that the meerkats had burrowed. Torches hung on the side walls, lighting the area a little. Batini asked us to sit down and wait for her to get some grubs for us. I was close to mentioning humans don't eat grubs, but she went away before I could say anything.

"What's going on?" asked Isabella.

"Batini is giving us dinner. Please be polite and eat at least some of it. It's poor manners to not eat what is served to you, especially here where they scrounge for everything they get," I said.

"Then maybe we should let them keep it?" asked Phineas.

"No, it is custom. Besides, Batini will help us if we are good house guests," I said.

"Don't you mean _tunnel_ guests?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"I mean what I mean," I said, batting a hand at the question. Batini returned with a handful of grubs and we each took one. Some of us were more squeamish than others. It wasn't just the humans. These particular grubs were not among my favorites. When we each had one, Batini shrilled at me and I responded. "Well, of course we'd come here, Batini, why wouldn't we after that not so subtle hint you gave us back in America?" She seemed to consider a moment before shrilling again. "Uh huh... uh huh... _uh huh..._" I took Perry's fedora, much to his dismay, and stole a notepad and pencil from it. I wrote down the information and, when Batini finished, I thanked her by shaking her hand. "Thank you very much for your hospitality. We shall pursue this straight away." Batini shrilled something else and I responded with, "Of course." The humans and platypuses then left the underground.

"What was _that _all about?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"Gentlemen, girls, we have our full first clue. The dots have been connected and now, _voila!_" I showed them the pad of paper.

"Hey, I know that marker," said Perry.

"Really? Could you take us to it?" I asked.

"Maybe. I'm not sure..." said Perry.

"Well, let's try," I said. "In the meantime, I know a guy nearby that can get us some shelter." We went off and if I hadn't thought it before, I certainly began thinking it more now that the sun was setting: danger lied ahead.

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**All right! We have a breathing period! Perry's alive! Also, those monsters they were talking about are based on actual Aboriginal legends. Just don't look up the one that ends in "who" if you are weak of heart. It's really freaky looking... not that the others aren't weird too. Dreamtime is also a legit belief of the Aboriginals, but as Perry pointed out, it was the beginning of existence that this different time existed (as far as I understood from reading about it). So, fiction leaves room for elaboration and experimentation. I'm making my own Dreamtime! Dik-diks are legit animals too. They are small antelopes and if you want an example of one in the media, either Google the name or if you've seen _Madagascar 2_, there were tons of those things running around. They are so adorable! (But not as adorable as Perry ;) ) Please keep reading and reviewing to find out what happens next, thanks, guys :)**


	3. Chapter 2: Seeing Things

Chapter 2: Seeing Things

Perry

Penelope guided us to a valley that reminded me a lot of the valley I had landed in when on my last trip to Africa. When we got down further, I saw my suspicions were confirmed. We made our way around and soon found a tunnel leading to an open plain. There were a few trees here and there as well as a river. In the distance appeared to be a great lake.

"Great. This has all the elements of a trap," said Penelope. She turned to us and asked, "Have you ever heard of any lost paradises like Atlantis, Shangri-La, or Valhalla?"

"We actually re-discovered Atlantis two summers ago," said Phineas.

"Not in Danville you didn't. You have no idea where Atlantis actually is and, if I have anything to say about it, you never shall," said Penelope.

"But-" said Phineas. Penelope put up a hand.

"That wasn't Atlantis. Many creatures have sought to re-build the city and I even investigated the Danville Atlantis, but that is far from it."

"All right, so what's your point?"

"My point is this: they're not paradise places. The horrors contained within the real Atlantis would be enough to make a grown man wet the bed at night. I scarcely escaped Valhalla with my life and Shangri-La... the monsters there are enough to freeze your blood."

"Oh, come on, you're just messing with us so that we won't try to find those places," said Doofenshmirtz.

"You want proof?" We all nodded. "Well, I won't give it to you. Perhaps on another day when I feel like getting into danger, but this is probably going to be more than enough to last me a few months. This, like all other 'paradise' places, is not a paradise at all. Those who don't know this place call it _Roho Ardhi _or 'Spirit Land.' They take it from the legends of spirits disappearing into this place to rest, but that's not the entirety of the tale. This place is actually called _bonde kifo _or 'Death Valley.' This isn't like the one in the western United States either. This one earns its name _daily,_" said Penelope. We heard the wind move through the valley and, had there been a thought to turn back, we were unable to. The entrance to the valley was closed over by a giant rock that hadn't been there before. "Stay close to me, don't go near the trees, don't go near the water, and for goodness sake, don't antagonize them."

"Antagonize who, exactly?" asked Isabella. The valley shook as a great roaring echoed off the walls. There was no telling what it was.

"Do you really wanna know?" asked Penelope. We formed a chain with our arms, holding each other close, and made a break for the center of the valley. There were a few mud huts and I assumed one of them was where Penelope's friend was. We rushed toward one, but it was good we didn't head too close to the door. A lion bounded out of it with a body in its jaws. It appeared to be a cheetah cub, bloodied and unmoving. We stood close to the wall of the hut, watching the lion dig a hole and bury the body. It looked in the direction of the setting sun thoughtfully.

"I don't appreciate humans coming here, Rose," said the lion. He didn't look at us, but it was obvious he smelled us. It took me a second to register he was talking to Penelope since I had forgotten that her middle name was Rose.

"Siwatu, it is a most urgent matter that brings us here," said Penelope.

"Urgent enough to risk your life for _humans_?" asked the lion, Siwatu.

"We need shelter for the night, then, we are going to look for the first marker for the old legend."

"And what legend is that?"

"The Treasure of Tau." The lion stiffened and turned to us.

"Inside. Quickly." We didn't argue.

Once inside, the lion went into a corner and lay down. His tail swished back and forth. I didn't know if he was thinking about pouncing or if he was just thinking. He nodded his head over to a table and we sat down at it. The floor was surprisingly cool, despite the temperature of the day and the room.

"I cannot trust humans. You know that more than anyone," said Siwatu.

"True, but these humans are my friends... some of them are even family. Surely you can see it in your heart to trust them," said Penelope.

"Your word means much to me, Rose, but I'm not sure it means that much."

"What do they have to do to prove to you they are trustworthy?"

"They can stay out of my way." Siwatu growled deeply. "This is a dangerous land in which you have entered and, unless you do as Rose and I ask of you, you won't survive."

"Yeah, yeah," said Doofenshmirtz.

Siwatu growled again and Penelope said, "This is completely serious, Doctor. Creatures lurk in this valley, some of the worst in existence. All caution is needed... and caution cannot be had without complete sobriety."

"Okay," said Doofenshmirtz. He had a hard time keeping his voice even when he said that, possibly because of the look Penelope was giving him. It made me wonder all the more what was going on.

"Very well. I will choose to trust you humans, but if our trust is compromised, your safety cannot be assured," said Siwatu.

Penelope nudged me with her elbow and I said, "To hear is to understand, Siwatu." It was the typical agreement from our culture that was also used in farewells. Siwatu looked at us a moment before setting his head down to rest, then it got strange. His back opened up in panels and air hissed out of the body. It was... a _robot? _Out of the lion shell came a platypus.

The platypus had the same fur and appendage colors as me, but that was as far as physical comparisons went. He was four inches taller than me, making him five inches over Penelope. He had a much bigger chest than I did at any normal rate, but that did not make the rest of him look strange at all. He just looked like a fit platypus. Another key difference between us was that his eyes were so black that I could hardly tell pupil from iris, giving a spooky effect to his appearance. He wore typical tribal clothing and a small hat on his head. Around his neck was a necklace with a strange shape. The shape reminded me of the upper jaw of a lion.

"Rose, I am surprised you walk around unclothed," said Siwatu.

"I wear a body suit," said Penelope, pulling at the fabric. "My husband wears the same thing." She pointed at me.

"Your husband? Max, isn't it?" he asked me.

"That was my birth name. Most people call me Perry," I said.

"Hmm... if memory serves, it means wanderer. That makes sense for a man far from his home," said Siwatu.

"I could say the same for you," I said.

"You couldn't really. I've been here longer than you've been alive." He turned back to Penelope and said, "So, the Treasure of Tau you seek?" Penelope nodded. "How exciting."

"Perry says he recognizes the first clue," said Penelope.

"Really? Do tell," said Siwatu.

"Well, I was sure I saw it the last time I was in Africa," I said.

"Where?" asked Siwatu, sounding nonchalant.

"_Haijulikani Wadi, _the uncharted gorge," I replied. I just barely saw Siwatu stiffen, but it was temporary.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah..." Did he know anything about the treasure?

"Well, it isn't far from here. I will take you there in the morning. _Early._" He went back into the lion robot and the panels closed, leaving him in a cocoon._  
_

"Come on, we better get to sleep. Siwatu never jokes when he says _early,_" said Penelope. We all picked corners of the room to curl up and sleep in. Four humans, four platypuses, and one strange platypus in a lion suit went to sleep that night. I felt as if there _were _things out there, lurking. It was almost mute with my family in my arms though. If I had been alone, the unknown screeching might be some tree monster or those unknown animal sounds might be predators searching for their prey or that screaming... _screaming? _I had been half-asleep and half-awake, so I wasn't sure what I heard. I sat up straight and saw that it was Penelope. She was shaking and screaming the most frightful screams.

As Penelope thrashed about, Siwatu emerged from his suit and said tensely, "Silence her."

"If I try to interfere, it might get worse," I said.

"How worse?" Siwatu folded his arms a moment before he lunged for Penelope, but I grabbed her and made a shield out of myself. I was right. It got worse.

Penelope's eyes were glowing white and her eyelids were nowhere to be seen. Her voice made the most unnatural sounds as her mouth foamed and she stood up. My face went cold with fear. The kids were in the corner, huddled together and scared. "Doofenshmirtz, take the kids and get out of here!" I said.

"I wouldn't! The outdoors at night are far more formidable than this could possibly be," said Siwatu.

I looked at him with an expression of intensity. "You wanna bet?" I asked. "I'm not allowing my kids to see this."

"Perry..." said Penelope weakly. The white light in her eyes flickered a little before going bright again. I thought the light would leave, but it didn't. She stood still a moment before lunging at me with a battle cry and her fists raised. I ducked and tried to avoid her blows. She was fast. I had to keep her away from the kids. I grabbed her and pinned her to the floor. She writhed there a moment before turning to face me. "_I have seen the future,_" her voice sounded far away. "_One is a traitor, one shall become greater. One shall meet their destiny, one shall have clarity. One will reject silence, one will wish to be silenced. One shall cry and one shall die._" Her eyes faded back to their normal color and closed. The attack was over... and it was also just beginning.

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**Siwatu means "born during a time of conflict." Any ideas on that? Siwatu seems to have something up his sleeve. What could it be? And the vision! Whoa! Who has what? Hmm... I'll let you guys theorize in the reviews ;) Adventure's just getting started, so please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	4. Chapter 3: Encounters

**Just a quick hint for you guys about the prophesy: Siwatu is not in the list. It's everybody else there. I'll let you guys connect the dots more, even though some of them are pretty obvious from the get-go. I think you guys will be surprised when I reveal who Siwatu really is (even though that too is obvious). None of it's obvious? Oh, well... I'll just have to keep tossing you guys some thread to follow, leading you to an ending of a character I've been plotting since... book 2, I think? Maybe even since the ending chapters of book one. Death is coming to someone BWAHAHAHAHA! Okay, I'm calm now :P Long Author's Note aside, please enjoy the new chapter ;)**

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Chapter 3: Encounters

Penelope

I got up that morning and stretched my arms wide, feeling the fur on my chest puff out in the air, and feeling a yawn creeping up my throat. When I finished stretching, I lazily blinked my eyes and got up. "Penelope?" I heard Perry say. I turned back to where he lay, looking tired and concerned.

"Did I have another nightmare?" I asked. I genuinely did not remember any of the events that had transpired last night.

"More like another vision," Perry replied. I looked around the room and saw it was just the two of us. "Don't worry about the kids, they're fine. Siwatu was okay with letting them be out in the daylight."

"What was the vision? Did I say anything?" I held my arms together, nervous. Perry sat up and looked at me with wide eyes.

"You don't remember?" he asked, standing to join me.

"No, it's kind of a blur. I scared the kids, didn't I?"

"You scared _me._" I looked at his face in the light coming in from the holes in the hay roof. There was a dark mark on his left cheek. I went to touch it with my hand, but he pulled away.

"Did I do that?"

"It's just a bruise, Pen. It's nothing."

"Perry, you have to tell me what happened."

He hesitated, then sighed. "You came at me and I managed to pin you before you reached the kids. You then started saying something that sounded like a prophesy."

"And what did I say, Perry?"

" 'One is a traitor, one shall become greater. One shall meet their destiny, one shall have clarity. One will reject silence, one will wish to be silenced. One shall cry and one shall die.' " I felt the blood leave my face as I remembered the vision. It was all so terrible and all so soon. "Do you remember any of it now?"

"I do... but for the sake of everything I hold dear, I'm not telling you."

"Penelope, you've always told me what was to come to pass, even if it meant my own demise. What makes this worse?"

"So many heart-breaking things, Perry." My eyes felt heavy with the weight of unshed tears. Before anything further could be said, we heard a spine-chilling scream erupt from outside. "Oh, no." I ran out the door, Perry fast at my heels.

"I told you not to sit under that tree!" said Siwatu. He had a makeshift spear in hand, trying to fend off the _thing _on Phineas's head.

I gasped in fear as the blood left my face again. "_Yara-ma-yha-who,_" I whispered under my breath in fear. "Why would you plant fig trees here?!" I asked Siwatu, outraged.

"Don't try aiming this at me!" said Siwatu. "It's not my fault Tau brought them here!" I growled, aggravated. Phineas was thrashing about as the red creature's tentacles sucked up the boy's blood. There was only one way I could think of to help. I jumped on the creature and locked my jaw on its flesh for all I was worth. The creature let out a scream and gradually began letting go. The group took the opportunity to get the boy out of there as the creature rolled about on the ground, trying to get me off of its back. I had learned long ago to keep my jaws locked tight until the threat was reduced to either one last move or running.

The creature finally managed to kick me off and, despite my intense fear of this creature, I bared my teeth at it, growling. Animal instincts had taken over. The creature's toothless mouth looked like a gaping hole. Despite its short stature, the creature could easily swallow a man whole. Its suckers moved about in the same way a cat's tail would. It was studying its prey. Its great yellow eyes blinked not from the top to the bottom like most creatures, but from left and right as its tentacles shrunk back into its fingers and toes. Its monkey-like slouch made it almost comical to look at. It tilted its head at me and, satisfied with how things went, climbed back into the tree.

I went over to Phineas as my animal instincts faded. The boy was pale and needed a transfusion or a miracle... one of which couldn't be achieved out here. I ran my hands over the boy's face and arms. He hadn't been swallowed, so that was good. "Siwatu, we're going to need your lion suit. We can't leave the boy like this," I said.

"Are you suggesting we travel with him?" asked Siwatu.

"You and I are the only ones capable of surviving the creatures and we know the most about the treasure. With that said, we should stick together at all times."

"Understood." He cupped his hands and made a bird call, summoning the robot to us. We carefully put Phineas inside the suit (it happened to be quite roomy).

"It is lucky he hadn't been swallowed," I finally voiced aloud.

"Lucky?! How is he supposed to survive this?!" asked Perry angrily.

"He _will _survive. He's not the one who's supposed to die later," I replied.

"I wouldn't find it acceptable for anyone in our company to die!" he said.

"I understand that, Perry, and neither do I, but there is hope."

"What kind of hope are we looking at here? Something we can get to or something transcending?" asked Isabella, just as upset as Perry.

"A little of both," I replied mysteriously. To Siwatu, I asked, "Can you make this as smooth as possible for the boy?"

"Motion stabilizers always made the trip comfortable for me," said Siwatu.

"All right then, let's go," I said. We started heading toward the edge of the valley, back to where we had originally entered.

"Wait a minute, if that thing was here, wouldn't that mean that those other things are here as well?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"You can bet your self-destruct button on that, Doofenshmirtz," I said.

"Man, and I thought _Der Kinderlumper_ was bad..." said Doofenshmirtz. I couldn't help thinking: _You'll wish Der Kinderlumper was here before this is all over. _"So where are we headed?"

"There's a spirit cave not far from here. Penelope and I will consult with the spirits to see what can be done about the boy's condition. I assume that's the priority right now?" Siwatu turned to me.

"Yes, Siwatu," I replied reluctantly. I agreed that saving Phineas was more important than the treasure... but what if the treasure _was _something magical that could save him? On the other hand, there was also my iffy relationship with the spirits to consider. I felt chills riding through my bones just thinking about it.

Siwatu knew of a tunnel that was a little cramped, but able to get us back into the main valley. It was only a few turns until we were in _Haijulikani Wadi. _"So, Max Sr., where is this thing that you saw?" asked Siwatu.

"It shouldn't be too much farther," replied Perry. He led us to another small space. "I hid here to try to keep my cover. I guess it didn't turn out all that great since everyone got put in danger." As the cave went on, it got darker. "I could have sworn it was right- Hey!" There was no more light and I assumed Perry ran into something. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I took out a lighter from my jumpsuit and lit it, illuminating the darkness. "Now it was very brief, but- there!" The ceiling was barely high enough for the platypuses present. The humans were crouching to even fit.

"Good find, Perry," I said.

"Yes, it's all rather opportune, as if you were meant to find it," said Siwatu. I didn't like the look he had on his face then. It was a suspicious and judging look.

"All right, so if I remember correctly, this symbol is meant to be a map or trail marker or something," I said. Perry scrutinized it and I let out a sigh. "This won't mean anything if we don't find that spirit cave. Where did you say it was, Siwatu?"

"I didn't," he replied.

"All right, then where is it?" I asked.

"I don't know. Only those who are called to the cave may go there."

"You're not being helpful at all."

"Hey, guys," said Perry.

"I'm not being helpful? It's not my fault the boy is in such a critical state! I tried to help!" said Siwatu.

"Oh, yeah right," I replied.

"Hey, guys," Perry said more insistently.

"What?" Siwatu and I asked impatiently.

Then, I noticed what Perry was looking at. "These- these are the symbols of our language. How could no one have noticed this?" I asked incredulously.

"I had to dust it off," said Perry.

"Well, at any rate, this doesn't make much sense. _Blue flying water consumes red summer fire. What remains?_" I read.

"Isn't this in reference to a spirit ritual?" asked Perry. I felt my mind go blank in confusion. "Well, I'm just saying that this reminds me of when Doofenshmirtz returned to his human form after being the Minotaur. Rays came down from the sky that looked like water."

"All right, so what's with the red summer fire?"

"Maybe it's in reference to someone who's going to be transformed."

"But who exactly is a red summer fire, assuming all of this is true?" We both thought on it.

"Phineas." Once he said it, I knew it to be true. He looked away toward where we had entered the cave. "And I know just where to go for this. Come on." We all exited the cave, following Perry's lead. There was something very odd about all of this. I believe Siwatu is right. I believe that it might just be that Perry was meant to find the clues. Perhaps, even, the treasure. I also believe that Siwatu is not all he appears to be. He appears to know more than he's letting on... and every step we get closer to the treasure, the more defensive Siwatu becomes.

* * *

**What does it all mean? Find out next time in The Agents Through Africa! Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	5. Chapter 4: Blast from the Past

Chapter 4: Blast from the Past

Perry

It wasn't the night that made this place dark. I knew it wasn't but early afternoon when we had entered their realm. The trees shaded the area, making it darker than the darkest night. The lion robot walked beside me, its eyes shining through the darkness... but only a little. We had entered a jungle, a jungle of the unknown. As much as Penelope feared any loud, booming sounds that reminded her of gunfire, she also lived in a great state of fear toward the unknown. The darkness was ripe with the unknown. Sounds heard in nightmares and sounds we wished we could safely identify echoed through our ears. Every screech, roar, and moan set new chills into our spines. All of us, that is, except Siwatu.

"Come along, then, Maxie, we're losing daylight! While we may not know the difference between night and day, the creatures that reside here do," said Siwatu.

"Quiet! I need to concentrate," I said tensely. A voice, unfamiliar yet all the while feeling familiar called out to me, urging me forward. It guided me, but I knew not where.

"Dear heart, I hate to press you, but how much farther?" Penelope asked, trying to sound brave behind me. I reached for her hand and, after a small flinch, she took my hand into hers. The children were huddled close to her, afraid to lose their mother again.

"It'll be all right, Pen. I promise," I said.

"I fear strange things linger here, things that would probably be better left buried," Penelope said quietly. Before I could question her, the lion broke through some more vines and we wound up in a clearing. It was lit in a light of night. "We shouldn't be here," Penelope whispered.

Not far into the clearing, I noticed a fenced-in area. There were gravestones therein. The fence was tall and made of black iron, its base was stone. The gate to the area had a skeleton in a red and gold bell boy's suit. Cobwebs surrounded the skeleton as if it hadn't been touched in years. Its left bony hand pointed to a sign to his right, which was to the left of the gate.

We all stood before the skeleton and the gate now. I blew off the dust from the sign and wiped off the remainder with my hands. I was able to read it easily since it was in the old Australian language Penelope and I had been raised with. " '_Only the dead may enter here. Caution to the living, for these are the last kind words they'll hear,'_" I read.

Then, the wind blew strong against us a moment before dying down again. The skeleton creaked and then began moving. It let out a raspy gasp and gave out an even raspier: "_Tickets, please..._"

I heard Penelope gasp behind me. I turned to her as she pulled out an aged piece of paper with blood stains on it. She shakily handed it to the skeleton. Its tall structure bent down and retrieved it. "_Died and now alive again..._" He let out an exhale as he punched the ticket with a rusty ticket punch from his pocket. "_Come... there is something you must see..._" He took Penelope by the shoulder and jerked her away from the kids.

"No!" cried out Max.

"Mom!" cried out Rosalynn. Penelope looked back to us and put up her hand in reassurance before following the skeleton's lead past the gate. The gate never opened to let them through, they just faded through it like a sand storm... only instead of sand... they were ashes.

* * *

Penelope

I woke up, gasping for air as if my lungs had been long deprived of it. I knew I hadn't died again, but it felt so much like it that it caused me to pause a moment. In pausing, I looked at where I was. It was a small broom closet decked out in white. I looked down at myself and noticed the body suit of before had been replaced by a nurse's uniform. My head had on a wig of shoulder length light brown hair, atop of which was a nurse's hat. My feet had on painful heels. _What did I get myself into this time? _I thought. I got up, but found it painful to do so.

When I was finally able to support myself on my feet, I noticed a mirror on one of the shelves. I looked at myself and didn't recognize the face in the mirror. I was a platypus with the right colors, but my eyes and face were entirely different.

I looked over to the door and decided to step outside, if only to see what was going on. When I opened the door, I looked warily up and down the hall. It all felt like some surreal dream that I needed to wake up from. There were very few people in this place. I realized through the smell and the overall cleanly structure that I was in a hospital. I heard a scream come from my right and decided to head for that.

As I stumbled along, I noticed I was heading into pediatrics. The body I had been put into was obviously not someone who had gotten along with someone recently. It was a challenge to even think. My head was pounding as if I was still receiving blows.

I stopped when I heard a familiar voice. "_My baby..._" the voice sobbed. My eyebrows went down in confusion. I went into the room and found Linda Flynn on a bed. She looked younger, but certainly not in the best condition. _Have I been sent to the past? _I wondered. There was a man at her bedside, rubbing her back and trying to sooth her. The man looked familiar, but different. I went to speak, but choked on my own throat. Whatever happened to this body in the fight it had, I couldn't speak.

"Hey, you!" came a voice outside the room. I noticed it was directed at me. I went into the room, but the man who called me out pursued me. He had a scalpel high above his head. "This will teach you vermin to come around our hospital!" I got in a ball on the floor and shut my eyes.

"Stop!" a new voice spoke. I looked up and noticed the man that was at Linda's bedside had come to my rescue.

"Dr. Doofenshmirtz, you know platypuses are filthy vermin and need to be exterminated," protested the man.

"Says you. There's something different about this one and I won't have you destroying it before I can get to the bottom of this!"

"Very well, doctor," the man snarled as he left.

I looked up at my savior as he bent down to my level. "I always did have a place in my heart for you creatures," he said. He picked me up in his arms and sat down in a chair. I couldn't help feeling desperately confused at all of this. "My name is Dr. Hans Doofenshmirtz. You no doubt recognize the name due to my younger twin, Heinz, who is a scientist in the field of new technology. The Doofenshmirtz name is rather successful in Danville... but, unfortunately, neither Heinz nor myself have been able to successfully bear an heir. Until today, we have had only daughters. Now, the doctors here tell us that we'll lose our son...we never even got a chance to name him."

My mind was reeling and I didn't know what to think. That is, until I saw the pad of paper and pen in Hans's coat pocket. I grabbed them in my hands and began writing frantically. _What is the date today? What of your brother, Roger? _These questions were primary.

Hans looked at my note and squinted in confusion. "The day is July 15th, 2000 and the only brother I have is Heinz. I mean, we almost had another younger brother or sister some time ago, but whichever it would have been... was lost before it was born," replied Hans sadly. My eyes widened in realization. _I am in the past, _I thought. _But how is it that I never heard of Hans and Roger was never born? _

I wrote more on the notepad: _What is happening to your son? _Hans looked at my question and gave a heavy sigh. "They say he's too weak... they say... he might die." Linda continued crying and Hans reached out a hand toward hers. _No... I won't accept this. I can't. _I wriggled out of Hans's grip and ran out. I heard Hans coming after me.

I soon came to a room with a small baby inside a containment box. The faint red hair and triangular head told me all I needed to know. It was Phineas. I put my hand on the box. I was startled out of my thoughts by the slow, yet very loud beeping of the heart monitor. He was near dead. I looked back to the little one. _No. NO! _My mind screamed. I reached into the box and took the child into my arms. That was when Hans came in the door.

"What are you doing?" Hans's voice was one of horror. _And here I thought he trusted me, _I thought sarcastically. _I have to do something. _I looked at the small Phineas. He groped at me with small hands and cooed quietly. I held him in my arms and felt maternal instinct kicking in.

I found my voice. It was scratchy, but I found it. "_Aw... he's so adorable!_" I said. I knew Hans couldn't understand me, but I was just... caught up in the moment. It made me realize then just how much I wanted more children.

Phineas grabbed my hand and I smiled. "_He's doomed to die, you know,_" came a voice. I looked around the room, but I couldn't see anyone else. Baby Phineas let out a small cooing sound before snuggling up to me. I felt his breathing slow down.

"_No. No, no, no. Why? Why is this happening?_" I asked. After my outburst, I went into a brief coughing fit.

"What- what are _those?!_" Hans asked, pointing to the wall with a trembling finger. I turned around and noticed two spirits. They were only a little above me in height. They might very well have been the same height as Phineas as I knew him in my timeline.

"_Give us the child,_" spoke one of them. They were hooded and glowing purple. The hands reaching for the child were a dark white underneath the purple glow.

"_What good does this child have to you dead?_" I asked. It was true, the child's heart had stopped beating.

"_He is doomed,_" replied the same one who had said it before.

I cleared my throat. "_I know this boy, and I come from a time where he is alive and well,_" I said.

The spirits looked at me, as if curious, but their answer carried that same omniscient tone all spirits seemed to have. "_We knew you were from the future. We need you to decide how much you are willing to save him. How far are you really willing to go?_"

"_I share neither a bond of kinship nor malice toward the boy, but I have a place in my heart for all living creatures. I won't let you take him._"

"_It won't matter anyway. What must happen is this: the father will give his soul instead. This will keep us at bay so long as no one of his blood ever crosses the boy's path. If this happens, the child's doom is renewed._"

My eyes widened. If this is what happened to the boy's father... "_No. This can't be right. None of this can be right._" My voice was cracked for more reasons than one.

"_You have another way out of this, you know. Just give us the child's soul and we'll leave you alone._"

"_Wait! Let's make a deal!_" Spirits are suckers for deals, but they always come at steep prices. "_This boy cannot die because he is meant for something so influential that the universe itself will bend to help lead him on his path. I have seen these things firsthand. Something is coming soon in the timeline I am from and to risk it would be more wrong than right._" I coughed again. The spirits waved their hands toward me and I felt my throat relieved. I could talk more easily.

"_You want us to spare the boy, but you do not realize who we work for..._"

"_I realize fully who you work for, which is why I ask of you to let time continue as it will. I will then hide the boy from your sight._"

"_In every deal, there is something beneficial to both parties. If we let time continue and if we let you take the boy from us, then what is our reward?_"

"_Spirits shouldn't seek reward, but you are correct. In any deal, both sides must get something. Therefore, after the ceremony to hide the boy, you may have my magic._"

They laughed. "_Your magic? You are but a speck to us._"

"_What would you have me give?_"

There was a moment of silence as they considered. "_Your son's innocence. His knowledge and purity are too great and they must be contained._"

"_What would that do to him?_"

"_It would slowly drive him mad. We see him taking up a horse and a gun... and he is dressed in white paint._" They paused. "_It would do you ill to change what must be done._"

"_I understand... even though it pains me. Just let time continue as it must._"

"_We... have a deal then?_"

* * *

Perry

It was not a good situation. The entire graveyard seemed to have a field around it. While it didn't harm us physically, it made us uncomfortable to go near. I decided the only thing we could do was wait. So, we sat in the grass and waited, for I knew that the only way we were going to save Phineas was if we could get him among the spirits within the graveyard. I knew this had to be done, I just wasn't sure what it was nor how moral it would be. I lied down in the grass and puffed out a sigh. Things were so much easier when I was just a platypus for my owners. Now, I was not only a not-so-secret agent, but I felt as though I was becoming some warrior in a battle yet to be fought. It was unnerving, yet...

"Hey, guys," came a voice from the graveyard. Penelope was just outside the gate, a weary smile on her face. I got up and ran to her. I brought my arms tight around her. "I'm all right, Perry."

I pulled away and looked at her. "What happened?" I asked.

"It's all right. I've taken care of it as best as I could." She paused.

"What is it?"

"We need to go in... but it's not going to be easy."

"What do the spirits intend to do to Phineas?" I asked her quietly.

"I cannot tell you that." She paused again. "We have to come back tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?! Pen, Phin won't make it that long."

"He will. The spirits won't let him die."

"Why?"

"Because I said so. Now, trust me, it won't even feel like that much time has passed."

"What do you-" it was the last thing I was able to get out before Penelope waved a hand over my eyes and I was put into a deep sleep.

* * *

**Well, what shall happen now, hm? Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	6. Chapter 5: This is Creepytown

**Yeah, it was confirmed in an interview with the creators that Doofenshmirtz is actually ****_not _****Phineas and Candace's father, so I did a little improv. I hope you all enjoyed Hans, even though he didn't last long. I'll explain everything about that angle later, so enjoy :D**

* * *

Chapter 5: This is Creepytown

Perry

I awoke to blackness, so I thought only a few hours had passed, but my aching bones suggested otherwise. A stone bed is not the most comfortable surface for sleeping. I got up and noticed two members of the party were missing: Penelope and Siwatu.

"Over here, Perry," came Penelope's voice. Through a few trees and in another clearing, Penelope was standing with her back to me. She had on a strange-looking dress with a matching bow on her head. She slowly turned to face me, disturbing the dress in a rather strange way. "The spiders are making me a ceremonial dress of black silk."

"How are they able to make black silk?" I asked.

"This is a different land, Perry. Everything is not what it seems."

"Okay... what was your plan?"

"You know, it is amazing. I am in a state of peace, if only slightly, because I know what will happen. I know all the spoilers so that when stuff happens, I won't be surprised, but I will be prepared for it. Everything will turn out in the end, even if it has to be at the loss of a few tender souls." Her eyes were weeping, but her face was not one of sadness.

"Do you want to talk about what's going on? You've been acting strange lately... stranger than normal."

"Just wake the others and meet me at the gate of the cemetery."

"I thought only the dead or once dead could enter there."

"They'll make an exception for us. We have another walking corpse among us." She let out a closed-mouth laugh, which sounded somewhat creepy.

"Okay..." Though there were questions in my mind, I knew she probably wouldn't answer them. So, I woke the others and brought them before the gate. Phineas was still alive in the lion suit, but he wasn't doing well.

"On this evening, a pact of long ago shall have its second stage put into effect. The details are unimportant, but the point is, Phineas shall live in good health. All we need to do is take him to the spirits at the center of the graveyard. Siwatu has already assumed his ceremonial garb and is waiting for us within."

Slowly, the gates opened of their own accord, making a loud creaking that was on the edge of a screeching sound. Penelope took her hands and rubbed them across her face. The result was her face was smudged black. She could have very easily been mistaken for one of the dead then. It was only her shining navy blue eyes that made her appear alive. Her teeth gleamed white as she gave a wide smile and beckoned us onward through the gates.

Once we were all through, the gates slammed shut, making the same creaky noise the whole way. Penelope turned to face the graveyard. Everything was still. It occurred to me then that the bell boy that had been at the gate the previous night was not there. The only sign of the undead was standing before us in a black dress. Penelope began humming something. It was a familiar tune to me and it made me realize why she was dressed that way. I braced myself for a nightmare I knew was about to come to life. The ground shook and a fog surrounded the entire cemetery. The gate and the fence were no more to be seen. The fog then cleared slightly, but only above and ahead of us. Escape was not an option, especially since unknown forces had grabbed us and began pushing us forward. Penelope walked on, unhindered, but the rest of us, I knew, felt the cold grips of phantoms.

Voices, including Penelope's, began singing the tune: "_Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see, this our town of Halloween... This is Halloween, this is Halloween! Pumpkins scream in the dead of night. This is Halloween, everybody make a scene. Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright. It's our town! Everybody scream! In this town of Halloween..._"

A creature burst out of the ground. It was like an undead pit bull (is the best description I can make of the monstrosity) and it was black like the darkest shadows, save for its beacon red eyes. "_I am the one hiding under your bed, teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing__ red!_" It said.

Another creature squirmed out of the cover of some loose dirt. Its thin black hair was mangled and it looked like it might have been human by the basic structure of it, but its fingers were long and snake-like. It was also wet all over, as if it had just died at sea (his face was certainly the right color for it). "_I am the one hiding under your stairs, fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair!_" It said. It shook its head at the last part and some of the spiders fell out. Isabella let out a squeal... as did Doofenshmirtz. Had it not been such a nerve-wracking situation, I might have rolled my eyes.

They all continued: "_This is Halloween! This is Halloween! Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!_" The ground split open in some places as more fog rolled out, only it wasn't fog. It was ghosts.

The ghosts moaned: "_In this town we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin song._"

Then, another creature burst out of the ground right in front of us, making a few of us jump. Penelope was out of the way of it in time, but the creature made sure we all got a good look (and a good scare) out of it. It was a horse that was a dark color. The earth coming off of it and out of it made it difficult to tell its color. Its eyes were easy enough to see though since they were glowing a seafoam green. Its teeth were the only part of it that was clean. Shining white teeth that chattered as it said, "_In this town, don't we love it now! Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!_" Penelope boarded the horse as it finished coming out of the ground and began leading the procession. We were pushed ever onward and each monster we had encountered began following us either behind us or beside us. What were we getting into now?

They all went on: "_Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can. Something's waiting now to pounce and how you'll scream!_"

We were joined by two more corpses and a wolf that walked on two legs. "_This is Halloween!_" said the wolf.

"_Red and black,_" said one corpse.

"_And slimy green,_" said the other corpse.

"_Aren't you scared?_" asked the wolf.

Two witches zoomed by on flying brooms, one on either side of our party. I could hear Penelope's voice joining them as they sang: "_Well, that's just fine. Say it once, say it twice, take a chance and roll the dice. Ride with the moon in the dead of night!_"

One corpse said, "_Everybody scream! Everybody scream!_"

The rest went on: "_In our town of Halloween..._"

A creepy clown came up in front of us and to the left. Its eyes and its smile were evil. "_I am the clown with the tear-away face!_" It ripped its face off (revealing muscle and maggots) and continued: "_Here in a flash and gone without a trace._"

The unseen forces behind us sang a line: "_I am the 'who' when you call 'who's there?'_"

The wind blew by and the words it sang were: "_I am the wind blowing through your hair._"

The ground beneath us darkened more as a shadow went from in front of us to up in the sky. It was its voice that sang: "_I am the shadow on the moon at night, filling your dreams to the brim with fright!_"

They all went on: "_This is Halloween! This is Halloween! Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!_"

Two (as of yet unheard) voices sang: "_Halloween. Halloween._" My eyes were drawn to an open casket and a hole in the ground. Out of the open casket came a girl and out of the hole in the ground came a boy with his head on backwards. Both were very much undead, their faces blue and their clothing resembling the fashion of the 50's. The girl even had ribbons in her hair. As they sang, the boy's head twisted around to face forward: "_Tender lumplings everywhere, life's no fun without a good scare._"

An undead man and woman (presumably the parents) sang next. The man first: "_That's our job._"

Then, the woman: "_But we're not mean._"

Then, the both of them: "_In our town of Halloween..._"

They all sang: "_In this town..._"

The horse sang: "_Don't we love it now?_"

All sang with the horse still being prominent: "_Everyone's waiting for the next surprise!_"

Another creature sang: "_Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back and-_"

An unseen spirit sang: "_Scream like a banshee, make you jump out of your skin!_" Everyone else slowly joined in on his part.

They all sang: "_This is Halloween, everybody scream! Won't you please make way for a very special guy? Our man, Jack, is king of the pumpkin patch! Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King! This is Halloween! This is Halloween! Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!_"

We came up to a fountain with boiling green liquid with a chair turned away from us at its center, safe from the liquid. They all parted to let us get a good view of whoever was in the chair. The two children came up to the edge on the left. They sang, "_In this town we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin song._"

They all sang as the chair began turning around in a counter-clockwise direction. "_La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, wee!_" All the while, the word "Halloween" kept being repeated by the singers with the deeper voices all the way to the end. The chair had finished its rotation and was now facing us. All of the undead creatures were bowing, even the horse (which had gone over to our right). Penelope alighted the horse and gave a quick curtsy to the one on the throne. The one on the throne gave a quick nod.

As I looked over the figure on his perch, I recognized him as Siwatu. He was dressed in a suit that matched Penelope's dress and he had a bow tied around his neck that attached to a black cape. His face was painted white like a skull's and he had on a headdress that had multiple horns, black feathers, and some small skulls. The skulls on his headdress made noise every time he moved. He sat up straight in his throne.

"We are ready for the ceremony. Only relatives of blood are welcome, in addition to Max Senior, Penelope, and myself. Come!" Siwatu commanded. With a clap of his hands, he was carried down from his throne and the fountain rose above the ground. When the column finished rising, a door appeared. Siwatu opened it. Its inward swing scraped across the stone and hit a wall. Beyond the door was a winding set of stairs leading underground.

The lion suit lowered and opened. Inside, Phineas was pale and looked on the edge of death. "Doofenshmirtz, you are to carry the boy down. I doubt three platypuses will be able to carry him," said Penelope.

"I thought you said only blood relatives were welcome," pointed out Doofenshmirtz.

"You are a blood relative," replied Penelope.

"But- but that doesn't make any sense!" said Doofenshmirtz.

Penelope put up a hand. "Explanations can be hashed out later. You are his blood uncle and are thus welcome to the ceremony. The other children are to wait out here until we return," she said.

Doofenshmirtz said no more as he scooped up Phineas and carried him over to the stairs and began descending. Siwatu waved for me to come forward and I began following Heinz down the stairs. Torches lit the way every so often and I soon became aware that Penelope was behind me. Then, a slam was heard as the door was shut. I looked behind me and saw Siwatu a little behind Penelope. It was just another one of those situations where I didn't know what I was getting into and, although I was given the impression it was for the good or for better, I had an uneasy feeling.

* * *

**Okay, I hope you guys enjoyed that creepy chapter. I gave a lot of people good Halloween material here, so I hope you enjoyed that. I do not own the rights to the song "This is Halloween." (For those of you who listen to the songs while reading, listen to the version from the movie, because that's where I was getting the inspiration from. DO NOT listen to Marilyn Manson's version of it because that's not this and I personally think it sucks in comparison. So, yeah.) That was in the movie _The Nightmare Before Christmas _and all rights go to their respective owners. Anyway, unless you're dying to know my take on Phineas and Candace's father and what all happened last chapter, I'm not revealing the info until later chapters. If you want to get the spoilers, PM me about it, 'cause I'm not spoiling it in an author's note for those people who don't like spoilers. I personally hate spoilers and wouldn't divulge any for the others out there like me for the world. So, to get the pieces to the puzzle, please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	7. Chapter 6: New Flesh, New Bones

Chapter 6: New Flesh, New Bones

Penelope

My heart was beating so fast that I felt it in my head and in my throat. I hadn't been to let alone enacted a spirit ceremony in quite some time. I was nervous, to say the least. I knew this was second nature for Siwatu since he spent a lot more time in Australia than I had. He understood the workings of the spirits far better than I. There was that and... they might not be happy with my presence.

"You got this, Rose?" Siwatu asked me.

"As much as I can," I replied. We soon came to a tunnel, leading further underground. There wasn't any light for quite some distance... or so it appeared.

"Come along then, we haven't got all night," said Siwatu. I looked behind us at Doofenshmirtz, carrying Phineas, and Perry. Everything about this was sending chills down my spine. I knew what had to be done, but the cost of it all was where morality became gray.

The light at the end of a tunnel turned out to be coming from an open cavern. Looking up, we could see the moon shining down on us. Crevices in the walls with candles and incense bowls told of this place's true purpose. "All right, Siwatu, let's get this done."

Siwatu nodded. To Doofenshmirtz, he said, "Lay the boy on the floor." Doofenshmirtz put Phineas down under the light of the moon. "This is the strangest proposal which has been placed before me, but I have not had reason to distrust your judgment before," Siwatu spoke to me as he said this. He began lighting the candles and I filled the bowls with incense. He lit the incense and the vapors drifted into the sky. "Everything is ready." Siwatu reached out his arms for mine and I grabbed his arms. I held the undersides of his forearms and he held mine. We then began singing in the dialect of our people.

Upon the last note, blue lights began shining down and entering the crevices. These lights manifested themselves into hooded spirits. Only their eyes and their hands were visible. "Honorable spirits, we have come here-" I began, but was interrupted.

"We know why you have come here. We have been waiting for some time. This boy interests us greatly. He was born of a father who has been erased yet he still exists. His spirit thrives in summer and we have sought to protect him from those that should oppose him. He has formed brothers of foreign blood and found love in the blind of spirit. Poor boy... so much potential," the spirit breathed.

"So much potential," the others assented.

"I know of your intentions for this boy while he be alive, but there are other spirits who have wanted him dead," I said.

"We know this too. They whisper in ears and mask themselves as protectors," the spirit hissed. His brothers hissed as well.

"We are prepared to make a deal," said Siwatu.

The spirits gave dry laughs. Their leader spoke: "What have you to offer us?" He drifted down to our level and circled me. "But, lo, what is this? A strong spirit this..."

"Strong spirits all 'round," his brothers said.

Their leader stopped in front of me while still having a part of himself wrapped around me. "We see the fate of your son and daughter. Such a sad, sad pain."

"Sad, sad pain..."

"For what is crueler than death but betrayal?"

"What comfort have you to offer me when the fates have already been decided?" I asked.

"There is no comfort for your spawn. You have seen, yes?" asked the leader.

"Yes... I have," I replied.

"Mortals..." they whispered.

"We want what you want... to have the fates change," said the leader.

"What assurance do I have that what you say would benefit the greater good?" I asked.

I didn't get an answer. The leader floated over to Perry and circled him. "This one has a good heart... he needs purification though," said the leader.

"Purify, purify, purify," the others chanted.

I went over to Perry and stepped between the two. "Back off. I know all too well what that involves and I will not stand for it."

The leader hissed at me. "Foolish mortal! You cannot expect us to save the boy unless we get something in return," he said. "We know of a way to change..." I knew what that meant. "You know of the way?"

"I do," I replied. Siwatu walked over and grabbed Perry. "What are you doing?" He didn't answer. He had Perry by a pressure point and was pushing him to the center. "Stop!" Siwatu turned to look at me. "Hold him steady. I'll do it." I walked over to them and stood on the opposite side of Phineas. Siwatu handed me his blade and forced Perry's hand toward me. It was the same hand with which we had made the blood pact. I gently grabbed it and sliced it open. Perry winced and we watched as the blood fell onto Phineas's shirt.

"Understood..." said the leader. Siwatu and I began chanting and the spirits moved about. I closed my eyes. No matter how many ceremonies I had been to and no matter what they were about, I couldn't bear to watch.

* * *

Perry

Penelope and the spirits had been in conversation, but I wasn't able to understand them very well. The sounds were high-pitched and garbled as if they were speaking through a voice modulator. There were no discernible words. Despite this, I knew that what was about to take place was a spirit ritual. I saw the spirits begin circling Phineas as Siwatu and Penelope chanted. Their words were vague, as if they were speaking in a different dialect.

As the spirits circled, I noticed the light from the moon above seemed to grow brighter as Phineas was slowly lifted from the ground. The lights swirled around him and became too blinding to look at. I closed my eyes and saw nothing but bright red for a few moments before it faded away. I opened my eyes to look and saw Penelope and Siwatu were covering Phineas in a blanket. The spirits had faded away and the cave had the same light as it did before the spirits came in.

I might have dismissed this as being normal had it not been for the fact that Phineas was not as big as he was before. From what I could tell, he was a great deal smaller. "Pen?" I asked.

"It'll be all right. This is only temporary," she replied. She wrapped up the blanket and picked him up. "He'll be fine."

"What did they do to him?"

"Why, they gave him a disguise, of course." Penelope pulled back the blanket and I looked in shock at Phineas's new form. The spirits had changed him. He wasn't human anymore.

* * *

**What could he be? Why is this happening? Is there a greater purpose? We shall find out! Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	8. Chapter 7: Setting Up

Chapter 7: Setting Up

Perry

It was a strange thing. The boy I had known for nearly all my life… and now he was a platypus. He still had his triangular head (somewhat) and he still had the same shocking red hair and blue eyes, but he had the body of a platypus. While the hair on his head was his original color, the fur on his body was a darker color, like a scarlet shade… like blood. He did have the same bill, feet, and tail colors as I did though. His height was just below my chin, making him nearly twice as tall as Max and about a chin taller than Rosalynn.

We had brought Phineas back to Siwatu's hut. It was evening and though we were no longer in the dark forest, there were still sounds like we had heard there. This was indeed Death Valley.

Phineas wasn't conscious yet and we hadn't talked much since the transformation. Penelope broke the silence. "Well… that happened," she said.

"Now what?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

I looked at Penelope. "Don't look at me, I only know a few things about the future. I don't see all," she said. "Besides, if I told you, then that would change the outcome of the future. The future is already mucked up enough because I know about it."

Isabella had been cradling Phineas in her arms with Ferb at her side while we were talking. "Well, do you at least have any suggestions for us?" asked Isabella. Penelope didn't answer. She was looking off elsewhere, her mind probably on something else.

It was then that Phineas woke up. We had prepared for this by giving him a translator from parts in the robot lion. At first, he didn't seem aware that anything was different. "Hey, guys," he said.

"Hey, Phineas. How ya doin'?" asked Isabella.

"Better. Whatever happened to me, it worked," said Phineas.

"You can say that again," said Rosalynn. She was off in a corner whittling wood.

"Wait, something seems different," said Phineas. He got out of Isabella's arms and seemed to notice the height difference right away. He gasped. "What the-" He looked at his hands, then his feet, then brought his tail around and held it in his hands. He gasped again before bringing his hand up to his beak and feeling it from nostrils to tip. "I'm a platypus." It was a simple statement that didn't have any one emotion with it. "How did this happen?"

"Spirit ceremony," replied Penelope. "Had to be done."

"Oh," said Phineas. He looked himself over again before saying, "This is so cool!" He was beaming. "So, this is what it's like to be you," he indicated Perry when he said this. "Now I know how Candace felt when this happened. It's so bizarre, but I like it."

"How long will he be a platypus?" asked Isabella.

"I do not know the exact time frame. It needs to be long enough to pass a deadline though. There are still spirits who would bring about great suffering for his soul," replied Penelope.

"What? Spirits want my soul? What for?" asked Phineas.

"I'm not entirely sure. I've been going over it again and again in my head and nothing has been making much sense thus far. There are spirits that have protected you from getting in trouble with your mother, spirits that have been quote on quote 'trying to bust you'-" said Penelope.

"What? What do you mean?" asked Phineas.

"As much as your sister wants to protect you, there are spirits who whisper to the wind that drive people's actions. There have been days where they have driven her actions. I mean, you didn't really think she was naturally that crazy, did you?" asked Penelope.

"And… all of our inventions disappear because of spirits trying to protect me?"

Penelope nodded.

"Why?"

"The spirits are a strange force who move both with and without purpose." Penelope paused. "The truth is… you were supposed to die… but something, some part of the universe or those good spirits wanted you alive. _I _wanted you alive. You have a destiny coming quickly in your future that shall be fulfilled… and it cannot be fulfilled with you dead."

"You're still not telling me anything!"

"To divulge further would instill a seed of hatred in your heart toward me. You have a great heart and a great and strong spirit. We must do what we can to keep it clean." She paused. "_You _are the one who is going to meet his destiny."

"I… this is too much!" Phineas ran out of the hut.

"Go with him," said Penelope to Ferb. Ferb nodded and went out. Isabella was about to get up and follow when Penelope put up a hand. "Not you."

"You know, I don't have to listen to you," said Isabella.

"But you will if you wish to survive," said Penelope.

"Maybe I would listen to you more if you were a little clearer on what was going on."

"Hm. I'll let you think on that." She went toward the door. "If you need me, I'll be outside." I silently followed her. She went to the river and dived in. I dove in after her.

When she noticed me, we both came up to the surface. "Something on your mind?" I asked.

"So many things, Perry. So many painful, awful, and terrible things are on my mind," she replied.

"Well, at least we're together," I said, taking her hand. She smiled slightly. "Right?"

"Yes, I like this. When I'm with you, it's as if things are going to turn out all right."

"You don't think they will?"

"I haven't foreseen the ending yet… I just know there's a lot of pain to come and I only have a _feeling_ that it will all turn out."

"Whatever happens, we'll stick together."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

We let go of each other's hands and Penelope started heading for the shore. I began following her before she turned around and splashed me. "Wh- Hey!" I said, splashing her back. She laughed and dove under, flipping her tail as she went down. I got more water on me. I dove after her and we playfully chased each other.

During our chase, we clamped onto each other's tails and spun around and around. We soon came close and I held her. We both were kicking our feet and swishing our tails to stay afloat. It reminded me of that day when we had admitted our feelings for each other and we danced. We stayed in the water for some time, just enjoying each other's company.

After a while, we finally spoke again. "I love you, Perry," said Penelope.

"And I love you, Pen," I replied. We kissed and I held her cheek in my left hand while still holding her with my right hand. We were quiet for a little while before Penelope and I jumped.

"I just felt something touch me," she said.

"I did too." I looked at her.

"I don't think it was either of us." We looked down and there was something very large swimming beneath our feet. It turned around and we got a glimpse of its reptilian face. It lunged upward with its mouth open and I quickly veered Penelope and I out of the way. It turned and brought itself out of the water and let out a loud sound like a dragon's roar. We looked at each other and both thought the same thing.

"Moolyewonk," we said simultaneously. It lunged at us and I blocked Penelope from its path. It caught me in its jaws and I shook as I tried to keep its mouth from closing on me. There were teeth in front of me, a reptile's tongue below me, and the entrance to being eaten behind me.

"Go!" I shouted to Penelope. She looked stricken with fear, but at the sound of my voice, she vaulted out of the water and started running. "Now, why don't I teach you some manners?" I crouched down and pried the jaws open as wide as I could. There wasn't a crack like I had hoped, but it did drop me. I fell into the water and began swimming to land, but the creature caught me in its mouth again. This time, I was not only holding its jaw up, but I was also trying to keep from being swallowed as my entire body was lying back-down on its tongue. Its teeth were sharp and were nearly cutting into me. This was clearly a lethal creature well-worth fearing. It growled with frustration and brought its head upward. It began rocking me to try to get me to let go. If I didn't think of something fast, I was gonna be a goner.

After a few head bobs of the monster, I fell, but I was lucky enough to get a grip on the creature's uvula. I struck this with one of my ankle barbs and the creature coughed me out. I fell near the shore and quickly got back on land.

By this time, Penelope had returned with a makeshift sling and some stones. The creature gave one last roar at me before descending back into the depths. When it roared, I noticed something wrong with its mouth. It looked like a tooth was missing. I looked into the water and, seeing something shiny and within my reach, I picked it up. It had lost a tooth in the struggle… and I held it in my hand.

It was then that the rest of our company came running up and noticed the looks of disbelief on my face as well as Penelope's.

"Wait a second, is that-" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"A genuine moolyewonk tooth," said Siwatu. I wasn't sure if he was proud, astonished, or suspicious of me. It was probably all three.

"Well, sure, if you wanna go with _that _assumption," said Doofenshmirtz.

"Wow," was all that I had to say. My astonished disbelief was short-lived, however. There was a rustling in the trees and a Yara-ma-yha-who dropped down onto the ground. We all gasped and Phineas hid behind Isabella as the creature began running toward us on all fours as a monkey would. I stood in front of everyone and put the tooth out in front of me. The creature kept coming, but I held strong. It eventually ran right into the tooth. Its force sent me back a little, but the tooth had done its work. The yara-ma-yha-who dropped to the ground, dead.

"You killed it," said Siwatu.

"Yeah, I guess I did," I replied. Penelope came over to me and presented me with her makeshift sling, which I noticed was made of a few stems of tall grass wound together.

"Wrap this around one end," she advised. I withdrew the tooth from the creature just in time to notice the tooth had cut me. Luckily, none of the monster's blood had gotten in me. I wiped off the knife, tied the grass to the thicker end of it, and washed my hands in the river. Penelope came up beside me and held my cut hand in hers. I removed my hat and she took out a bandage from my first aid kit and quickly wrapped it up. As I watched her, I wished inside of myself that I could have prevented Phineas from being attacked before he had to be transformed. "You did well," said Penelope.

"Indeed, you have," said Siwatu. He looked into the river and said, "If you're up for it, I have a task for you."

"What do you want?" I asked. I stood with Penelope at my side.

"I want you to kill the moolyewonk," he replied. "And bring me an eye as proof."

"What for?" I asked.

"I want to see if you can. You killed one of the ancient creatures, shouldn't you also be able to kill another?"

"Killing a red monkey is one thing, killing a fifty foot long Loch Ness monster is another."

"Very well. If you change your mind, be sure to do it in the daylight, there are worse creatures in these waters at night."

"Worse than the moolyewonk?" I asked skeptically.

"Let's just say that perhaps the tales of Tau have been smoothed over for the sake of not instilling too much fear into the hearts of its listeners. Some things are better left vague."

"Let me think about it."

"Think about it all you like." He left with everyone else. Before going, Penelope kissed my cheek and gave me a look.

"What?" I asked.

"I just want you to do what you think is best, that's all," she replied. She went away and I thought about it some more. A few hours later, I came back to Siwatu's hut, carrying in one hand the tooth knife and in the other, I was holding onto the veins of the now dead moolyewonk's eye.

* * *

**This chapter was meant to shed more light onto the prophesy that Penelope gave back in chapter two, but it turned into a little bit more than that. This was a good Perry chapter though :D He got to kill the Australian equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster and the yara-ma-yha-who. Anyway, please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	9. Chapter 8: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

Chapter 8: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

Perry

It was night. I had the moolyewonk's tooth in hand and I was ready for anything. The drop bear was surprisingly easy to kill. I just kept the dagger above my head and the creature impaled itself on my weapon. That only left two creatures: the bunyip and the muldjewangk. Those were the creatures more fixed in legend than any of the others. No one even knew what for sure they looked like, only that they were fearsome and deadly.

I sat by the water's edge. The dark surface of the water rippled and I knew it wasn't just the wind. I felt it in my blood. They were coming… and all I needed to do was be ready.

* * *

Penelope

I knew why Siwatu wanted Perry to kill the ancient creatures, enough not to tell anyone else. Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Doofenshmirtz, Maxwell, Rosalynn… they should have never become involved in all of this. I now knew that they were due to suffer the most out of us all. I had the guilt of knowing what was to happen and not be able to put a stop to it. They still had to face it.

I felt my heart skip a beat and I gasped for air. I collapsed to the ground. I felt my consciousness fade from the world of the wake to the dream world.

_I rose quickly, gasping for air. I looked around me and saw that I was still in Siwatu's hut, but I sensed something was different. I looked behind me at the table and saw myself sitting with Isabella, Phineas, and Ferb. Maxwell, Rosalynn, Perry, and Doofenshmirtz were nowhere to be seen. I realized that this had to be a vision. I had to get what I could from the vision before I woke up._

_We appeared to be waiting for something. Perhaps everyone else… and where was Siwatu? "They should be back by now," said Phineas. He was no longer in platypus form, which surprised me, but I assumed it had something to do with the situation._

_"I do admit that this is longer than I had predicted of them to be gone, but they'll return. We have no worries there," future me said._

_"What happens if they don't come back though? We've gotta go out there and look for them," said Phineas. He stood to go out the door, but was tripped by my future self._

_"If I let you go after him, not only would I be breaking a promise, but I would also be sending you to your death." Promise? What promise? The promise to the spirits that was supposed to protect Phineas? Or was I referring to the promise I had made to Perry to protect his family? That last one we had made shortly before he left to go hunting. How foolish I was not to connect the dots. This could only mean… Phineas went to sit back down and future me continued, "Don't worry. If anyone can survive the horrors that await out there, it's my Perry." Yeah… okay._

_The door burst open and little Maxwell came in. "I saw Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Father and Rosalynn and..." he sobbed. Little Maxwell… if my future self had not been holding him, I would have picked him up in an instant. Perry, where were you? Where would you be, more accurately._

_"It's going to be all right, Max," future me said. Max had blood on him… the size of a paw I knew._

_"No, Mother, I do not think it shall," said Max. Max was handed over to Phineas. This was not surprising. The boys were forming a bond. They were becoming good friends… and my kids had so few. "Uncle Phineas, do you think everything will be all right?"_

_"I think it will be," replied Phineas. What nightmare is this? How is his sight so drained of hope? Phineas's face was not as bright as it had once been. It wasn't even as bright as when I had left him just a moment ago. Max was getting cleaned by future me when it was obvious hesitation and shock had taken place. "What is it?" asked Phineas._

_"This- this is Perry's blood," said future me._

_There was a loud knock then. Little Max said, "They have followed me here. I had hoped they had not." Who?! It could be anyone: savages, monsters, spirits. My mind was reeling from all the fearsome possibilities._

_"Stay here, children," future me said. I was way beyond nervous. What had happened? What was __going__ to happen?_

_The interaction at the door startled me for a few moments before Doofenshmirtz came in. "It's okay, it's just me," he said. I breathed a sigh of relief. There was hope for this future yet… but were those… coffins? Was Doofenshmirtz carrying __coffins__? I jumped when I saw Rosalynn come out of one._

_"Doctor, forgive me for asking this, but why did you bring my daughter back in a coffin?" asked future me._

_"It was on hand... besides, I had to get them out of there somehow," said Doofenshmirtz. No._

_"So, I can assume that in that one...?" future me referred to the second coffin. No, no, no. My eyes welled up with tears. The coffin was opened to reveal Perry, lying in the coffin, seemingly dead. I ran over to look with the others. "Perry?" future me pleaded. "What have I done?" What __had__ I done? "It was never supposed to be this way." No, no it was not. Future me laughed bitterly, "And to think that this journey had started out so happy and warm, and now... everything is dark and cold. When did it all go so wrong?" Tears were blocking my eyes, even though it was just a vision, it felt so real, as if it were happening right then._

_Then, I saw the future me look at me. "What did I do?" I stepped away. "What did I do to deserve this?!" I looked around frantically, for any sign that she wasn't addressing me._

_"Penelope, there's nothing there," said Isabella._

_"Actually… there is," said Phineas. I looked at him, as did my future self, astounded. Phineas came and knelt by me. "What happened, Penelope?"_

_"What did we do? How- how can we fix this?" asked future me frantically._

_I knew visions couldn't speak, so I merely shook my head._

_"Just nod if something sounds familiar. Where are you from in the timeline? Has Perry started hunting the ancient creatures yet?" asked future me._

_I nodded. I felt myself grow cold. Where was this going?_

_"You must stop him from pursuing this. I know that this is what's supposed to happen, but look where it's got him. Do you honestly want to let time flow for __this__ outcome?"_

_I looked at Phineas._

_"Yes, he was transformed back. Perry didn't think it necessary anymore."_

_I quirked an eyebrow, confused._

_"I can't reveal too much of the future, but… look, you know what's gonna happen right? Siwatu's training Perry to be the next Tau."_

_I nodded. I knew this._

_"Well, most of the monster hunting goes fine, but the events that follow… well…"_

_My eyes pleaded, "How badly?"_

_"It's not a good place here, Penelope. Things get so much worse than we've seen or we think. I don't expect it to get much better from here either." A knocking was heard on the door. Future me went to answer the door. Phineas followed. I looked back to the coffin holding Perry and I saw…_

"Penelope? Penelope, wake up!" it was Phineas. I was panting, trying to regain normal breathing after being out. "What was that? Another vision?" I nodded. "What is it?"

"I- I need to think," I said. Things would turn out, but at what cost? Perry was in a coffin and Phineas was spared being a monotreme. It was either one or the other: Perry or Phineas. If Phineas stayed a platypus, he would eventually be put back into danger; if he got transformed back, then whoever was next in line would get the wrath of the spirits.

Siwatu entered the hut then with Perry's head in the crook of his arm in a noogie. The two looked like good friends or brothers. "I sense a disturbance here," said Siwatu. "Is everything well here?"

"Fine, Siwatu, but it would be better if you would keep your business to yourself, you selfish prick," I said.

"Pardon me?" asked Siwatu.

"Penelope, what's going on?" asked Perry. I looked at him for a few moments before I came to a decision. I took the dagger from Perry and threw it outside. "Hey! Penelope, tell me what's going on."

I had never heard this tone nor attitude from Perry before. "I am doing what I must to protect my family," I said.

"Oh, like turning Phineas into a platypus? Because that made a lot of sense," said Perry.

"Perry, sometimes things don't make sense, but they turn out. You need to trust me," I said.

"Oh, quit pulling the trust card. Do you honestly think that trust is the thing at stake here?"

"Then what do you think is, Perry?"

"And there's _that _tone. Boy, how I've missed it these past few hours. Do you even hear yourself when you speak? I'll admit, there have been things you've been right about, but-" he was getting really flustered. Instead of speaking in English for the rest, he spoke in our language. "_Figs, Penelope, why do you always have to order us around?"_

I argued back. "_I don't always order you around._"

"_Let's check the passport, Penelope. You've been dragging me across the entire globe for your incompetent brother. News flash, Penelope: he isn't going to change._"

"_Why are you bringing my brother into the picture?_"

"_Because if it weren't for him, I would have a much easier life. If it weren't for your visions, I might live in a little thing called peace._"

"_Peace is a false pretense invented by those who fear the rest of the world._"

"_Always with an answer._" He paused. "_Perhaps it would have been better if I had stuck with my normal life. Perhaps my life would have been better without a memory of my past, without a blood family to think about that's rotting in the ground._"

"_Why don't you just say it, Perry?_"

"_I wish I never met you._" I was stunned, yet I saw an outcome like this coming. I knew Perry didn't mean everything, but I also knew how much of a pain I was sometimes.

"_All right, Perry. I won't say another word. Do as you wish._" I walked away from him and faced the other side of the room.

"_That's all I wanted._" I heard him say before the door opened and slammed shut. Tears fell from my eyes that I had been trying to hold in during our fight.

"I'll go get some grubs," said Siwatu. Despite his pompousness at times, he really did have the capability of being a good and wise man.

_Oh, Perry… _I thought. _If you only knew how much I know, how much I want to tell you, but can't. The timeline must be kept, otherwise… it'll get worse before it gets better._

* * *

Perry

I found the tooth. I gripped the grass-wrapped handle tightly and felt tears coming to my eyes. I chucked the dagger in the direction of the river. There was a squeal in the distance, which led me to assume I hit something. I ran in the direction of my throw and found a small creature on all-fours. The creature had tusks, flippers on its front end and straggly legs on its hindquarters. Its tail was a pitiful mock of a horse's tail and its eyes moved about on stalks. I knew not whether it had fur or feathers or scales or skin. Its body moved about in the strangest way, worming forward with its front before walking with its back. This abomination of nature could be none other than the bunyip. It seemed dazed, so I quickly cut its head off.

Siwatu came up behind me and said, "Well done. Only one creature left and it lives in the depths."

"Muldjewangk," I said.

"Correct," replied Siwatu. "Now, quickly, we must harvest this creature's organs and blood. The bunyip can be used both for poison and for healing; extraordinary chemicals lie here." We gutted the creature and collected what we could from it.

Once that was done, I dove into the dark waters. It was murky and my eyes were useless in this environment, I knew. So, I closed my eyes, my nostrils, and my ears and put my focus into my bill. The platypus's bill has these things on it that make it so that it can see its environment, almost like the echolocation of a bat or dolphin.

Soon, I was sensing something really big moving my way. This one big thing then became a few smaller things. I opened my eyes to try to see what was there, but there were no words to describe the things in front of me. It was… mythical.

* * *

**Here is where I leave you. If you have any guesses on what the muldjewangk is, leave them in the reviews. Also, it would seem we're getting closer to the time talked about in the prologue. Penelope saw it happen, but does it mean that it will happen as it did or will it happen differently? These are things to ponder. Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	10. Chapter 9: Terrifying Terrors

Chapter 9: Terrifying Terrors

Perry

There are some species of fish that hold their children in their mouths. Well, this is the best correlation I can make with what I saw with my eyes wide open. A large worm-like creature opened its mouth and seven mermaids swam out of it. They were not the siren beauties of some legends though, but they were more sinister. These, with the worm, was what the muldjewangk was.

_Turn around, turn around, turn around, _my brain screamed at me, but my body stayed put. I felt my body's natural floatation bringing me to the surface in my mindless state, but something made me stay under. The mermaids, though they looked intimidating and carnivorous, looked kind and capable of something that my body naturally craved.

It was then that everything went blurry. Someone came into the water and sent projectiles in the direction of the mermaids. They then grabbed me and brought me to the surface. "Come on!" it was Penelope. I snapped back to my senses and swam with her, but the monsters gained. The mermaids made a dolphin dive over our heads in a geese pattern and the worm was coming our way, mouth wide open. Penelope and I put our backs to each other. I faced the mermaids while she faced the worm.

"This seems familiar," I said.

"No time for reminiscing though, I'm afraid," said Penelope. She paused. "Do you have any plans?"

"Not at the moment. You?"

"Not really," she replied breathily. She was clearly trying to mask her fear as much as I was mine. We stayed between the two different creatures for a few seconds before Penelope said, "On three, we dive under the water and see if there's any way we can get under the worm."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Working on it."

"Good enough."

"Okay. One… two… three!" she grabbed me and I barely had enough time to gasp for air before we were back under. We found that there was a space between the floor of the river and the monster's belly. We squeezed under frantically, trying to get to the other side. It took me back to Doofenshmirtz's Bloat-inator… but that's another story for another time. It made me wonder, for the second time in my life, if this is what it was like to be born out of a womb.

I didn't have long to think on these things though since we were soon free. The worm couldn't turn very well, so we were able to get back to the surface before the worm arched its back and turned to us. It seemed very angry. As it rose, I noticed the wounds on its belly and I remembered vaguely that I still had the knife in my hands.

"We're going to have to deploy the Jonah Principle," said Penelope.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Well, I have a theory that the mermaids need the worm to survive. Without it, they might die… or at the very least, lose a major source of food," Penelope theorized.

The Jonah Principle wasn't something every agent at ALPHA or the O.W.C.A. jumped to do, but, when it was required, it was carried out. "Okay…" I said skeptically. I went toward the worm and, as it bent toward me, I grabbed onto it. I had a hold on its lip and looked down on its many rows of teeth.

Before I let go, I heard Penelope say, "Use your tools, Perry!" I gulped, let go, and down I went the monster's gullet.

* * *

Penelope

To say I wasn't scared would be a lie and an exaggeration. I was shaking. I had faced terrible monsters before, yes, but every new thing I faced still made me shake and shiver. _Courage is fighting despite being afraid, _I reminded myself.

"Come on, Perry…" I said. The mermaids were next to the worm and the worm loomed over me. The mermaids' eyes were all glowing with a carnivorous hunger and primal instinct. "Well, come on, beauties, let's dance already."

The mermaids let out alien-sounding shrieks and I gasped. They came onto the land and began crawling their way toward me. I had a sling and a rock with some grass wrapped around it, a swinging mace of sorts. I used this mace to start bashing their heads in. I admit that I was not as agile with a mace as I was with a crossbow or a staff, but I was able to keep them at bay for a little.

They came closer and closer to me before I was overwhelmed. They came upon me, forcing me onto my back, and I took out two of the bigger stones that I would have used for my sling and began bashing them back. They kept coming though.

Suddenly, I heard an explosion and guts rained down upon the mermaids and me. They looked toward the water and I stood up. I used the mace once more and swung madly at their heads. I then heard a battle cry and saw Perry come down upon the mermaids. He had the tooth from the moolyewonk and a new one. He had one in each hand. With these, he combatted the mermaids further and began slicing their heads off. I gasped again and ducked, holding my hands over my head.

I had my eyes closed to block the sight of it. I heard the shrieks of the dying mermaids and Perry's grunts and shouts. I smelled blood and the intestines of the worm all around. Soon, the sounds stopped and the smells increased in their intensity. I heard Perry panting beside me. I opened one eye and saw his hand stretched toward me, the unspoken offering of help. The two teeth were in the other hand.

I took his hand and stood. I put my hand over my mouth as I looked at the devastation around me. Perry was still breathing hard from the exertion. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and hugged him tightly. He hugged me back, the two teeth crossed behind me in each of his hands.

"It's okay, Pen, it's over now," he said.

"No… it's not…" I said, my tears finally coming to me and choking me with sobs. There was the sadness that there was death around me, there was the anguish of what was to come, and there was the utter relief that, for the moment, Perry was still with me. "Please, Perry, don't leave me ever again."

"I wish I could promise that," he said regretfully. My sobs got stronger and I couldn't contain them. Perry brought us down to the ground and we sat, holding each other tightly. It was amazing how long I cried… but then, I was overcome with so much emotion, it was hard to believe that I would have done otherwise.

We went back to the hut and found everyone there… except Siwatu.

* * *

Siwatu

I kicked the wall in frustration. I let out a loud cry of defeat and despair. After my lungs had run out of room to scream, I fell to my hands and knees, exhausted from the effort. I panted heavily and dared not look up.

I had been conversing with the spirits about the potential within Rose's Maxwell Sr. a.k.a. Perry. He was slaying the ancient monsters and was on the trail of Tau's treasure… not that I could care. Unfortunately, the spirits had told me something I hadn't thought they would tell me, but I had dreaded it being said.

"It is useless to come against this, Siwatu," said the spirit.

I looked up. "You have kept me alive for this long to look for Tau's successor. Thinking that it couldn't be done, I went along with it. I thought that no one would have to go through the trials that would have to be gone through, the same trials that Tau went through, to become him. It is unjust," I said.

"What do you know of justice?" asked the spirit, seemingly angry. "Justice has become a flimsy word to the mortals. 'We must do what's right,' you will say, but what is right to you? If justice was executed to the fullness of what it should be, do you realize how few problems you petty creatures would have? If a wrong is committed, that person is to be punished. If murder is committed, that person must die, yet you let murderers roam free or stay in little houses where they are kept warm, fed, and well-exercised so that they may murder again. Pathetic, weak… what are you that you come to us with what is just and unjust?"

"A just action is judged by how it benefits others and a just man is determined by his actions."

"True, lion heart, but you do not realize how just it is to appoint a successor to Tau."

"It destroyed Tau to do the things he did. It destroyed him, knowing the things he knew. It destroys people to _know _things."

The spirit pointed a finger close to my face and said, "You cannot escape this for long. Already the one called Perry has killed all the ancient creatures. Already he is on the verge of the second clue. You cannot stop what must come to pass."

"I will make the fates change… and I'm not the only one who would want this."

The spirit seemed to laugh. "What do you intend to do? It is inevitable. Tell us of your meaningless plan."

"Mark my words, spirit, I shall do everything within my power to stop the future from coming to pass. I am not your puppet, none of us are. Even if it takes the last of my strength and leaves me dead, I will strive to change the outcome… till my very last breath I will fight." I took a deep breath. I hadn't dared to speak this way to the spirits before. "You are not in control of us. The fates _will _change."

Now, I knew the spirit laughed. "Suit yourself, lion heart. Just know that you are sliding in oil that you cannot hope to walk straight in."

"Perhaps it is pointless, but I cannot be faulted for trying. After all, I made a promise… and I never break my promises." I left, not wanting to hear more and not wanting to say more. I was angered and disgusted at their self-righteous attitudes. They did not own me. They did not own Rose. They did not own Max Sr. I would not let this stand, even if I had to use means I had sworn to never use again. I will make the spirits wish they had let me die all those years ago.

* * *

Penelope

Perry and I had just finished cleaning up when Siwatu walked in, looking drained. He looked steamed about something and that made him look savage. I wished I could talk to him, but it was hardly my place. Still… "What happened, Siwatu?" I asked.

"Nothing important. I was just praying to the spirits," he replied.

"Oh, I see. They don't always lend clear answers or answers that we'd like to hear, but, even if some of the things they want anger us, we must feel some assurance that it is for the greater good." I didn't mean this entirely. I knew there were some flaws in the spirits' logic. I knew that coming up against them or trying to defy them would be pointless though. They would have their way… most likely.

"I do not wish to be swayed from my mood, Rose. I am focused and I needn't the distraction of false hope," said Siwatu. He began walking to his corner of the room when I noticed ashes on him. Ashes signified great mourning or suffering.

"Are you feeling well?"

"My mind is quite clear, actually. For once, I have a purpose that has not been caused by any string-pulling. As I said before, I am focused. My mind is set." My eyes widened when he said this. He must be planning something very dangerous. Perhaps I did not understand everything as well as I thought I did. _What is your pain, Siwatu? Do you know something that I do not? _I didn't dare to question him, but I also feared for him. I respected him and I knew not entirely why. Of course, Siwatu had never been a very open person to begin with, but, rather, a man shrouded in mystery.

* * *

**That's it for now. We got to get some of Siwatu's perspective. I know this doesn't clear up anything, but does anyone have any theories? We are coming close to something really big happening, so please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	11. Chapter 10: The Story on the Cave Walls

Chapter 10: The Story on the Cave Walls

Perry

I sat on a rock, watching the sunrise. The valley was so endless, it almost seemed like one great endless plain. My eyes welled up with tears and I felt a smile on my bill. It was sadness. _I have everything I could have ever wanted and more, but at what cost? Too many have paid the price for my selfishness… and Penelope's. I must find a way to set this right._

Penelope came to my side. Her hand graced mine and I turned to her with a smile. She smiled back. "Well, what now, conqueror?" she asked somewhat sarcastically.

"I don't really know," I replied. I turned back to the sunrise. After a few moments of silence, I said, "Why don't we go for a walk?"

"A walk?" she asked. "Where to?"

"Wherever," I replied. She smiled at me and I laughed a little sheepishly.

"All right. Let's go."

We went, hand in hand, for a walk. It was true I had no plan and wasn't sure where we were going. It was also true I had no idea of what was in store for us in the near future. Perhaps if I had been, I would have held onto Penelope a little tighter.

We soon came to a part of the valley that had many holes in the cliff walls. They looked like the caves of small animals and perhaps even of former humans who had been there. "Come on, let's go exploring," I said.

"You think it's safe?" asked Penelope.

I was already a part of the way up the cliff's face when I turned back to her and replied, "We haven't exactly gotten to where we are today by living by that question."

"I suppose not." She climbed after me and we began our ascent. We explored each cave. Some were clearly the caves of animals. Some caves were still being inhabited by bats. Some caves held some signs of former life. It was these caves that interested us the most.

"Cave men," I said.

"Or cave animals," Penelope put in.

We looked at the old artifacts and bones and noticed drawings on the walls as well. While the bones and artifacts were dust or near dust, the drawings looked almost as if they were still freshly done. There were animals, hunters, legends written on the walls through drawings.

We came at the cave's end and saw one that really caught our attention. "Penelope… is that…" I asked.

"They're symbols… old text," she replied. She began translating it in our tongue. "_Two men, brothers, stand alone beneath a tree. They give their talents to anyone willing to partake of them. One man comes to them, a helpless soul. Through them, he becomes stronger than all others. It was because of them he took up the staff and amulet to protect his fellow creatures: seeing not good nor evil, but understanding all are one. When it came time for the brothers, the hero left. The hero could no longer help anyone so long as he was trapped…_" Penelope paused and looked at me gravely before continuing. "_He cried to the spirits for help, but he could not shake his curse. He needed another like him… even if he had to wait hundreds of years for him…_"

"Look, it shows the hero putting the amulet on the staff, combining them. Perhaps this is one of Tau's tales," I said both gravely and excitedly.

"Yes…"

"Pen, I know you fear for me-"

"It's more than fear for what you are and what you are currently facing. I also fear what you will face some day… and what you will become. Our time is running short. The war will be upon us soon and I cannot let any of this stand."

"What are you talking about? Pen, you can tell me anything, you know that."

"_Can_ and _should_ are two different words, I'm afraid." I felt something in my chest and I felt inclined to go outside. "Perry?" I couldn't answer. "Perry, where are you going?"

We wound up outside and it wasn't until I was standing before an unlikely sight that I stopped. There were stones stacked like our commemorative tombs. Though we were cremated in our tradition, rocks were stacked in a place of great significance for remembrance. It wasn't until the person was long forgotten that the stones could be taken down.

I immediately began digging in the dirt with my hands. I soon came across something that both astounded me and terrified me: there, in the soil of the earth, lay the staff of Tau with his amulet tied across the top. "This is Tau's staff," I said. I picked it up and felt it in my hands. I knew its age, but did not feel it.

"This isn't right," said Penelope.

"What do you mean?"

"I sense… there's more to it than that."

"I suppose anyone would be expecting diamonds and gold for treasure."

"Perry…"

"What?"

Penelope paused, her eyes darting about in thought. "Nothing. It's probably nothing." I quirked an eyebrow in confusion, but I let it go. "There is more coming."

I didn't feel like taking this any further. I was finding that Penelope would eventually tell me what she needed to when she felt like it and pressing her on it would not make her reveal it any sooner. I decided it might be best if we returned to Siwatu's hut. Perhaps things would smooth themselves out… but they didn't.

When we arrived at Siwatu's hut, it was trashed. The door was off its hinges, the hut had holes in it, and everyone was gone. The only signs as to who could have taken them lied in the painted symbols all around. I wasn't able to make comprehensible sounds at that point, so great was my frustration. Penelope said something quietly and I didn't hear her.

"What?"

"The cannibals," she said, not that much louder than the first time.

"Cannibals? There are _cannibals _in this valley?!"

"Why did you think it was called Death Valley? It is not the creatures of myth that made it this way… not entirely. It is our own depravity. Every person hides a part of themselves away from others. It is their most personal self, who they truly are. We, all of us, have hidden those sides from each other.

"Now, the cannibals, they have nothing to hide. They worship the evil spirits; those who are associated with torture, apathy, and any other trait that goes against our natural nature. Perry, I've said all that to say this: the only way we're getting out of here alive and with even half the sanity we came here with, we need to come to know ourselves."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"It is not something I can teach or give advice on. I'm not even sure who _I_ am at this point."

I gripped onto Tau's staff with both hands. I looked at the gem dangling from the top. I had a feeling of what I had to do. "Come on," I said. Perhaps I would figure out the rest as I went along. For now, I just went with my instinct.

* * *

Siwatu

_One is a traitor, one shall become greater. One shall meet their destiny, one shall have clarity. One will reject silence, one will wish to be silenced. One shall cry and one shall die._

I don't know what was more terrifying: the fact that I knew its meaning or just how helpless I was to stop it. Perhaps… perhaps it was a good thing that Max Sr. was following in Tau's footsteps… but at what cost? Would he then have to face more of the challenges Tau faced in life? The challenges that were _not _mentioned in the legends? Challenges far after Tau supposedly left? One thing was for sure, things were moving swiftly… and I couldn't do anything about it, no matter how hard I tried.

I was tied up with Doofenshmirtz, Isabella, Phineas, Ferb, Rosalynn, and Max Jr. around a large pole. The cannibals were probably intending to do more than just cook and eat us though. Yes, first they had to completely scar us… then came the mind games. We'd be begging for them to kill us by the time they were through. I had dealings with these blokes before… they were not easy to come up against.

"This all never would have happened if we had just kept out of it," said Ferb. This felt like one of, if not his first, words during this whole trip.

"What do you mean?" asked Phineas.

"Look at us, Phineas. We've been dragged across the world by a couple of deranged platypuses and for what? It's been a mind game from the very beginning, a great game of chess that we had all been full and willing to play… until now. I won't stand for this anymore.

"First, we discovered Penelope. We took her in as a sign of pity and because 'some man' ordered us to. Where do any of them down at ALPHA get off by subjecting us, normal civilians, to this? Granted, we are not quite as normal as anyone else, but we could have had anything we wanted in a few years, Phineas, gone to any college, married any girl we wished, lived any life that we wished. We could have gone our whole lives ignorant to where Perry went every day. We could have gone our whole life blindly, but that is not how they wanted it to be, is it?

"Then, _someone _had the bright idea of following them to Europe, which, for the record, I found to be utter and complete hell to see Europe in that state and it still shames me to know that England is facing trials with the Enigma's men. The Enigma… I wish we had never known of his existence.

"Then, of course, Asia came about and that was no better. And, all throughout this, there have been creatures that shouldn't even exist popping out of nowhere. The Minotaur, the dragon, the- the- whatever those freakish Australian creatures are that Perry killed! It's all insane! It's all madness and I can't take it anymore!" The boy took some deep breaths. "I will not be silent anymore. I will not sit by and watch everything I know and love crumble before my very eyes… not again."

"Ferb, I- I had no idea you were so affected by all of this," said Phineas.

"Well, perhaps I've just been keeping quiet because I thought it was the safest thing to do. Besides, it might be a good change of pace, this talking more thing," said Ferb.

I heard a sigh that I recognized as being Doofenshmirtz. "Yeah, you go ahead and try that out, kid. It sure hasn't done me a lot of good. Sometimes I feel as if things could have gone so much better in my life if I had just shut my mouth sometimes. I feel so useless and stupid," said the man. "Maybe I should be quiet… I wish I could."

"Phineas…" came the soft voice of Isabella.

"Yeah?" asked Phineas.

"Can't you get us out of this?" she asked.

"What can I do? I'm just a platypus."

"Perry and Penelope are 'just platypuses' and look at what they can do. If you can do all the things you did as a human, imagine what you can do now. Perhaps… perhaps there is something to being an incorporation of all parts of nature."

"Well, I may not be magic and I may not be used to my body yet… but I'm gonna find a way out of this for us."

As I listened to them, I heard and saw Penelope's prophesy kicking in. Slowly, everything was falling into place. I looked to the sky and prayed. I knew that it would be one of the last times I saw the sky look as it does… so beautiful, innocent… normal. Soon, sooner than anyone will be ready for, it will all come to pass.

* * *

**Prophesy making more sense now? I have lined up most everything for you. So, if anyone has any ideas who goes in the blanks of the prophesy, feel free to theorize in the reviews. Also, while the others were kidnapped by cannibals, Perry has found Tau's amulet and staff. There must be something lining up there too. Finally, Siwatu sure seems to know a lot of things for being outside of the situation. Any theories as to why or as to what shall happen next? We shall see! Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	12. Chapter 11: The Shadows Move

Chapter 11: The Shadows Move

Penelope

Perry and I were looking at the cannibals' village from the safety of the tree line on its outskirts. The grass grew thick in the shade and did well in hiding us. We were too far out to see the center where the kids, Doofenshmirtz, and Siwatu would undoubtedly be.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.

"Follow me," said Perry. I followed his lead as he slunk silently into the open. We darted from shadow to shadow. There were plenty of huts to hide behind.

Finally, we reached a place where we could see the center. Perry stood in front of me and peered around our hiding place. I could only catch glimpses. From what I caught, it seemed like it would be a hard task indeed to get to the middle. Cannibals lurked everywhere.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped. I whipped around and saw a cannibal. Perry turned around and gave a solid glare at the cannibal. He stood tall and had the staff held straight and steady. The native seemed afraid. He muttered something in a language neither Perry nor I understood. With his spear, he directed us toward the center of the village. Around a great pole were tied our friends and children. Natives lurked from every shadow. We were surrounded.

The one who had discovered us started a conversation with one that had more markings than the others (presumably, he had to be their leader). It was confirmed when this leader spoke in a language we understood. "_What brings you here?_" he asked in our language.

"Maxwell! Hand me the staff of Tau!" shouted Siwatu.

"What right have you to it?" I asked.

"It is a matter I do not wish to indulge in nor do I expect you to understand it," replied Siwatu. To Perry, he said, "Trust me, Maxwell, you know not the power you hold in your hands."

"_You must be Tau come back from the grave. No other would dare carry his armaments,_" said the chief.

"_What matters it to you?_" asked Perry.

"_Is it not obvious, Tau? We have been awaiting your return. We have been making sacrifices in vain trying to search for the one who cannot die,_" said the chief.

Perry looked at me and me at him. He looked back to the chief and asked, "_Excuse me?_"

"_Did you not know? Tau goes through the great sacrifices in order to obtain his power. He must show goodness in his heart, but also have shed blood. He must save those from death while also knowing what death of another is. He must see both good and evil equally. Do you not see these things?_" asked the chief.

"Maxwell, listen to me! The power that Tau held made him powerful, but it also wouldn't let him die. Imagine having to watch as everyone you care about die and everything you know fade away into inexistence. The last Tau had to wait over 1,000 years for the next one. How much longer do you think you would have to wait?" asked Siwatu.

"_Silence!_" said the chief. Siwatu received a blow to the head from the butt of the chief's spear. It was then that I noticed something I should have realized long ago. Siwatu did not bleed.

"Hand me the staff and amulet, Maxwell, and believe me when I say that we shall all be delivered safely from this place," said Siwatu. He looked at Perry pleadingly yet also with that same dignity that I knew him for. "Please."

"_Your time is over. A new time is to begin,_" said the chief.

"Not yet it's not," said Siwatu. He slipped his arm free of the binds and held it toward the staff. By some unknown force, the staff and amulet went into his hand. The amulet slipped over his neck and the ropes melted away. Then, in a great flash of light, Siwatu was immediately transformed. When the light faded, he had on all the markings and clothing of the ancient Tau.

Perry, the natives, and I gave a collective gasp. With one wave of his hand, the natives fell to the ground. They struggled into the most submissive of bowing, their faces and hands to the ground. Perry was taking a moment to make sure everyone was all right while I stood in awe.

"Imagine that this is only a piece of what I can do," said Siwatu, who I now knew to be Tau.

"How is it possible that you have lived this long? I know that the spirits wanted you to wait for a successor, but still… this is all so…" I said.

"Impossible?" he asked. I nodded. "Come, let us walk back and I shall explain everything.

"A long time ago, when I was a young ankle-biter in Australia, I saw my people as well as other animals falling to the wayside. Humans were a constant threat to our way of life. They didn't understand us and we didn't understand them. My mother told me to pray and to learn the ways of the spirits. She thought that, perhaps, they might listen to me. Many were praying, she said, but no replies were being given.

"After a short time, I received a visit. That visit haunts me to this day. The spirit told me I had to step away from everything I knew and just observe. I asked how long that would have to be. No reply was given, only the last subject was restated. So, I removed myself from my village and my family and watched. I saw the perverseness of the humans before and the goodness of my own people, but, as I watched, I noticed the perverseness of my own race and the goodness of the humans. I was greatly confused. Traits I had seen in one I now saw in both.

"Finally, I received another visit from the spirits. They asked that, now that I saw these things, how I felt about the situation. I had no answer. I was then picked up, literally picked up, by the scruff of my neck and carried around the globe. I saw good and evil. I saw guilt and innocence. When I returned to my home, six years had passed and I had not aged a day.

"I was asked again how I felt about the situation that we all faced. I am not ashamed to say that I wept. I wept bitterly for something I had not known possible before. I felt myself sorry for the entire globe, yet also a great compassion for every creature. The spirits knew this. I was taken aside again and I was taught things of knowledge and great wisdoms that I dare not divulge since it is beyond common understanding. When that had finished, they furnished me with these clothes, markings, and instruments: my staff and amulet. They gave me power and told me to use it however I saw fit.

"Naturally, I knew not where to begin. Even in everything I had learned and seen, I still felt my own mortality in me since, at that time, I had not been given the immortality I now possess. I began walking the land, searching for the perfect souls to help me in my quest.

"I finally found my first disciples: a few boys. They were not brothers by blood, but by bond. They remind me very much of your Phineas and Ferb." He nodded to the boys as he said this. "They wished to help change the world for the better and I was glad to help them. With my powers and their ideas and ingenuity, the land became very prosperous. Then… then came a bad time.

"I had been helping the boys for seven years, but I had scarcely aged. I was encountered by a spirit one night and I was told my soul was being preserved on Earth so that I may pass my good deeds onto others. They said I needed to charter a boat and spread my gifts across the world. I was warned that if I tarried long from this quest that I would be severely punished. I heeded the warnings not.

"Not six months later, a great war broke out. Creatures animal and human alike fought. At the end of that war, I looked among the bodies and saw everyone I ever cared about, including those boys, slaughtered. Needless to say, I tore my clothes and threw ashes upon myself and smeared myself in the blood and dirt that I collected from the fallen. My eyes cried for days and I wailed louder than any mourner I had ever heard. I needed my sorrow to be expressed as if being expressed by all the souls dead there plus a thousand.

"When my voice had finally broke, I collapsed to the ground and wished myself dead. Then, the rains came and everything was washed away. I was delirious from hunger, thirst, and sorrow, so I knew not what happened until I woke up at a port that was not of my home land. I knew then that the spirits had conveyed me there.

"Well, I knew there was nothing left for me back home, so I walked forward and helped all who I could. I spread my care, power, and compassion to all those who I met as if they were my own family and friends. I also received the mistreatment from some for having magic. I was tortured and thrown at many weapons of death. They wished me dead, but I lived. Among the many names I have attained over the years, one constant has been 'the walking corpse.'

"So, after a few hundred years of my service to the people, I was visited by the spirits again. I was told that I may yet escape my fate if I found a replacement. I searched, nay, scoured the globe for such a being. It was not to my luck. In the meantime, the people and animals I had come to love slowly began to die. I had to get away from society. I retreated to the most inhospitable place in the world that I knew: my home. I fought many monsters and my stories were recorded.

"After a time, I realized a new bit of wisdom: so long as I couldn't die, I would never be happy. I retreated once again, only this time, to a greater solitude than before. I have been in this valley for over 300 years. I have adapted, in the best ways that I could. I have watched humanity and the animal kingdom evolve through various means, and I was proud and saddened all at once. I have spent many nights weeping for reasons none can understand. I soon began to wish that I would never meet my replacement and that I would live to see the world come to its end so that it may take me with it and I may finally die alone and in peace.

"You can understand, then, that when I found my replacement, the mixture of feelings I had. I was relieved to die yet afraid for what he must face. It is pain to know… and I know Rose knows this to a small degree."

"Yes," I replied.

We looked up and found ourselves back in familiar surroundings. "I am afraid that there is nothing in this valley but old bones and the despair of many that have passed through here. You… none of you… _know_," said Tau. He looked to Perry. "I know that you are the destined one… but realize this: if you choose this path, you shall outlive everything you know and care for. You shall know everyone's joy and pain… and… you shall feel a sadness unlike any being on this planet can profess to comprehend."

"And what if he doesn't have a choice?" I asked softly.

Tau paled slightly. "I know what you have seen, Rose, and it pains me. There is much in your future that weighs heavily upon my heart." He silenced and seemed to be lost in thought. "The time is coming soon, I know, so I shall consider it. I… I know what must be done. There is but one thing Max must do to become Tau." He paused. "He must come to _know._ It is something that I cannot teach nor show in any fathomable way."

"Actually, there might be a way," I said.

Tau sighed. "It is painful… too painful that everything must come to this. Innocence fades, evil arises, and all eyes shall become opened to the path ahead. I see it clearly and fear it similarly if not more so than Rose. Caution to all of you… these coming days will make your past events appear but gentle outings in compare. You must all come to _know._" He said no more. He went into the hut and, by the time the rest of us had entered, I perceived him to be already asleep. Every part of him was relaxed apart from the hand that held the staff, which was clenched tightly.

"Penelope…?" Perry asked.

"Don't ask me, Perry. Please, don't pain me anymore than need be," I said.

"Is there any hope for us?" asked Isabella.

"I, regrettably, have become bound to what I have seen. My paths are not as many nor open as before. I am coming closer and closer to that one path where I see a dark forest, seemingly unending. I see death and sadness and no light. As carefully as we tread, there is an event, quickly approaching, which cannot be avoided by any. Tau is right. We shall have to know, not just practically for the now, not just the remembrance of the past and the preparation for the future, but also of ourselves. We must know of ourselves and who we will be, beyond any doubt," I said.

"If you and Tau are so smart, why can't you just tell us?" asked Isabella.

"How can they tell us who we must be? Isn't that for us to decide?" asked Phineas.

"I grow weary of this," said Ferb. Doofenshmirtz looked indifferent and said nothing.

"Mother, why have you not cured yourself of your condition?" asked little Max.

"This… is how I must be. I know not how long, but this is how it must be," I replied. I was slowly beginning to understand some things… but I knew our path would be long and hard in coming. The forest we walked in, as far as my vision allowed, would not let me see any ending. I only saw so far as the war… I knew not its outcome nor its aftermath. I was afraid.

After a moment's silence, I said, "Excuse me, I must go. There is something I must do." I knew not why, but I was overcome with an intense sadness I had never felt so strongly before. I walked outside and spent the time between that part of the night and the late part of the following day doing what I had to do to dispel these feelings. I returned wiser and the changes in my companions were becoming more and more evident. I could see it in their eyes. The future I had seen for them most recently was not far in unfolding.

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**Well, there's that. Tell me what you think in the reviews. I am getting very excited for the chapters to come. I think you're all really gonna enjoy what I got coming next ;) Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :D**


	13. Chapter 12: Tragedy in its Glory

Chapter 12: Tragedy in its Glory

Perry

I was sitting cross-legged in Tau's hut. Everyone else was asleep. It was a dark and cold night and a fog was rolling in. A sense of dread filled me, but I didn't know why.

As I sat, I pondered. Voices ran through my head. "_He must come to __know__… There is much on your future that weighs heavily upon my heart… I see death and sadness and no light… One is a traitor, one shall become greater. One shall meet their destiny, one shall have clarity. One will reject silence, one will wish to be silenced. One shall cry and one shall die… One shall cry and one shall die… one shall die…_" They echoed. Everything I had heard since finding the staff and Penelope's vision.

_What could it all mean? Something's gonna happen that, despite everything I know, I will not be able to stop it. _I tried to reason who was who in Penelope's vision.

Breaking down everything that had happened recently, I started seeing characteristics in the group that matched. Ferb, usually so quiet and introspective, was speaking out against everything that was happening. If left unchecked, it might pose a problem in the near future. Then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Doofenshmirtz, usually so talkative, was now becoming so quiet. Circumstances had certainly gone beyond what we were all used to. _One will reject silence, one will wish to be silenced._

Penelope and Tau were certain that something was going to happen with Phineas, something big. It was as if he was destined for something. It wasn't that I didn't trust them on their word or the prophetic drawings, I just wanted the meaning behind it all. Why was he destined for something and what was it? In the sense of "One shall meet their destiny," it could be either me or Phineas, but I was leaning more toward it being Phineas. "One shall become greater" could also be applied to either of us.

The other parts of the vision were too vague to pinpoint to any one person at this point. However, there were things being said that were making me think that Isabella was the one who shall have clarity. Yet… it was all still so dark to me. I could only hope that, for once, Penelope's vision was wrong and we would go back home with the same amount of people we came here with.

"Someone is certainly being introspective this evening," said Penelope.

"Wouldn't you be too, if you were me?" I asked.

"I'm not you, so I cannot say. I don't know which is scarier, knowing what is going to come to pass or having to be silent about it. I already know what it is like to not know the future and it has its moments of bliss."

"Then there's that other category where you're married to someone who is more secretive than you had thought possible." I looked at her sadly when I said this and noticed her face strained with hidden emotion.

"I don't want to drive anyone else mad besides myself. I already did that with my brother and here we are… burdened by the past."

"He's in prison now. His empire is crumbling under his absence."

"Is it?" I looked at her, uncertain. "Look, Perry, that cell isn't going to hold him long. Phillip is the dominant now, but I fear there is something, an inner carnality that will come to light very soon. Perhaps his villainy isn't as imaginary as we believe."

"Do you think your brother would be capable of those things?"

"All it takes is a murmur from the flesh. Perhaps I have made him love me too much. Perhaps he has always had something in him that glorified in evil. Whatever the reason, it won't sway him from the war."

"Hey, Penelope?" Phineas came up to us and looked at her. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," said Penelope. She nodded to me and took Phineas outside.

It wasn't long before they came back inside. "Perry, do you know where Rosalynn went?" asked Penelope. I shook my head and I saw her face pallor with fear. "I fear the culmination of events is at its peak. Go after her. Now."

"Take my emblems, Max, and no harm shall come to you," said Tau.

"Respectfully, I must decline. It's not my time yet," I said. He looked about to rebuff, but Penelope stopped him with a shake of her head. He sighed and waved toward the door.

I looked back and Penelope said to Doofenshmirtz, "You had better go with him… and take Maxwell too. He could always get through to his sister better than any of us." Doofenshmirtz nodded, picked up Max, and he followed me into the foggy night.

Something in my heart (or perhaps my spirit) was leading me. It wasn't long before I found myself in that same graveyard where Phineas had been changed by the spirits. In the midst of the graves, I saw Rosalynn talking with a spirit. The spirit looked in our direction and waved a hand toward us. Before I knew what had happened, we were in their midst.

"It is as well that you came, Max called Perry. Your daughter has made an offer which we cannot refuse as it shall be of a pivotal point in the time to come," said the spirit.

"What do you mean? Rosalynn, what have you done?" I asked.

"Rosalynn, this path that you choose will lead to your end," said Max.

"In the physical world, yes, but in the spiritual world, I will be more useful," replied Rosalynn.

"We shall take her soul and, in return, the boy called Phineas shall be returned to his natural state. He shall have more tangible dangers to deal with in the near future that would not be facilitated in his current form," said the spirit.

"I won't let you take her," I said. "You'll have to fight me for it."

"Foolish mortal. Thinking with your strength instead of with your mind. Acting upon your instincts rather than with any sort of plan whatever," said the spirit.

"It hasn't failed me in the past."

"You had much simpler opponents in your past." Doofenshmirtz only gave a "hmph" in response. "Now," said the spirit. "There is another matter which you did not take into account. We cannot touch the physical realm." Its hand went through Rosalynn and, though it gave her shivers, did not produce any other physical effect.

"You're saying that she has to be killed?" I asked gravely.

"She can kill herself or be killed by one of you. It is all the same to us." He took a knife from his robe and dropped it to the ground. It had been spiritual in his hand, but, upon looking at the ground, it had become physical. We all looked down at it. One look into Rosalynn's eyes and I knew the answer… and I saw what I had to do.

* * *

Penelope

It was all happening again. I had the vision already of what the night would bring. I was trying to remain calm by sipping on some broth, but I wanted to pace the floor. Phineas had turned back into a boy and I was sure now that it was related to the events to come.

Tau said, "I had better go. There are some things that need to be taken care of."

There was a little bit of time after he left that we sat there, waiting for everyone to return safely. From then, most everything that I had seen in the vision took place. It all happened so fast and, before I knew it, Doofenshmirtz had brought in the coffins holding Rosalynn and Perry. When I saw my past self glimmering in the half-light, I knew then to turn around and look at Perry. He was holding a knife in his hands that I hadn't before noticed. He was slowly and shakily rising. I rushed to his side, but one hand stopped me from going further.

Perry got to his feet and was on solid ground. His very frame shook from weakness and… another emotion I could not place. His skin was pale, but his eyes still had a glimpse of that flame of life.

"Look at what you have brought upon us… upon this family…" said Perry in breaths. He was addressing Rosalynn.

"The spirits have different plans for us all. It's not like I chose to be the hated one, the outcast," said Rosalynn almost bitterly. The circumstances in Asia and the situations since softened my heart for her, even if she was the spawn of Epolenep. My heart ached now and I realized it was out of love.

"Choose your path… because I have already chosen mine," said Perry. His gaze was narrowed in steely resolve.

"Then there is no other reason for me to be here, is there?" asked Rosalynn. She grabbed Perry's wrist and plunged the knife, deep, into her chest. I gave an exclamation of horror and grief before rushing to her side. "I will… I will be here… again…" she put her little, blood-stained hand upon my chest and I saw another piece of the puzzle fall into place. She fell into the eternal sleep and I looked at Perry.

Perry looked distraught. He looked at his hands as if he had committed the act himself. While it was his hand that held the knife, he had to know: "It's not your fault," I voiced.

"You have no… no idea what I went through… to get here," he said.

"Can someone explain what just happened?!" asked Ferb.

"The spirits needed a soul," said Isabella simply. "Now, Phineas and Perry have seen a glimpse of their potential… all that's left is to see what happens next."

" '_One is a traitor, one shall become greater. One shall meet their destiny, one shall have clarity. One will reject silence, one will wish to be silenced. One shall cry and one shall die._' Of these, I know seven… but, I believe, with only one remaining option, it shouldn't be hard to guess the eighth," said Perry.

It was then that Tau returned. He looked like he had run back. "I was afraid of this result. Come," he said. I picked up Rosalynn and we followed Tau outside. "Put her on the ground, here," he said to me. With a wave of his hand, the wound was healed. He waved his staff over Perry and he too was healed.

"Can you bring her back?" asked Perry.

"While it is within my power, it is against the code I must follow," said Tau. Before Perry could say more, he added, "Why do you think I did not resurrect my boys a thousand times over? Dying is a natural course of life and we must do what we can to prepare ourselves for it. You can be assured that this young one knew precisely what she was doing and it shall be to our benefit in the coming days." Perry lunged for Tau, but with a wave of his staff, Perry was blown back.

"I realize your anger and frustration, Max, but of the laws I have broken, this is one I am glad to keep," said Tau.

"How- how did you get so cold?" asked Perry bitterly.

"Time. Time has made me _cold._" He gave a sweeping glance to us and waved his staff, telling us to follow. I picked up Rosalynn once again and we all followed Tau to the river that had nearly been our death on one occasion.

A floating casket was tied to a small tree there and death garments were in place. "I'll do it," said Perry. He dressed Rosalynn in the delicate red dress and gently placed her in the casket. Tau cut the string and the casket floated down the river. He handed Perry a bow and arrow and he adjusted his own bow and arrow. I made the fire that they lit the arrows with. They both shot arrows toward the small casket and it burst into flames. It was then that the tears burst from my eyes and I sobbed. Woe unto us for the future that was in store. Woe.

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**Well, let's see where this takes us. This one may turn out to be shorter than I thought. Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**

**Minor side note: I have a poll up now on my profile page. I'd really appreciate a few votes as it will determine what story(s) I work on next. Thank you!**


	14. Chapter 13: The Metal Called Gold

Chapter 13: The Metal Called Gold

Penelope

_It was dark. I was aware that I was in the hut and that I had risen. I was sitting up, looking at the doorway. I sat there, wide-eyed, looking upon the specter before me. It was Rosalynn, glowing in a light blue hue and transparent enough to see through, but I could still make her out from everything else. _

_Once she saw she had gotten my attention, she gave a small smile and ran. I got up and ran after her. I called after her to wait or to stop, but she went on and I gave chase._

_We wound up at one of the walls to the valley. There were many caves there and she began making her way into one that was ground-level. I was about to follow her when my shoulder was seized by a hand. I turned around and there stood a hairy monster. _I jerked awake and took the monster to the ground.

"Penelope, stop!" I became instantly aware that it was Perry.

"_Don't do that,_" I said each word with emphasis.

We stood up and Perry reprimanded me: "You ran out into the night and almost went into that cave. It could have been dangerous."

"I was following someone." I nearly mentioned our daughter's name, but something told me to go against this impulse.

"Right… and why was it so important?"

"I don't know, really. Do you wanna find out?"

"In there?" He pointed to the cave. "Pen, there could be big beasts in there. I don't want to have to risk losing you anymore." He cupped my face in his hands and looked sad.

"I'm sorry, Perry, but in the lives that we have chosen, danger is just another part of the day." I looked into his eyes and I still saw hesitance. "Come," I said, taking one of his hands into mine.

"At least let me lead the way." Perry got in front of me and removed a flashlight from his fedora. He flicked it on and we proceeded into the cave.

We soon found ourselves not going forward, but down. The decline grew steeper and steeper until we came upon a great pit. When Perry shone his light down, we could not see the bottom. I took his hat and removed a rope from within. I fastened the harness to myself and to a stalagmite before descending into the black.

When I reached the bottom, I felt the rope moving as Perry climbed down. The light from his flashlight bobbed around since he had put it in his mouth. Finally, he got to my level and shone the light around the area. The air was cold and wet and we heard water flowing in the distance. There was only one tunnel big enough for us to go down, so we got on our elbows and crawled.

We made our way into an underground cavern with water flowing in a river. I took the light from Perry and shone it around the walls. There were drawings on the walls and broken-down huts and multiple species' worth of skeletons. "This place had inhabitants?" I wondered aloud. "How could they live without the sun?"

"Maybe it was a defense mechanism to keep them safe from predators," supposed Perry.

I knelt down and noticed ashes and chalk. "Or maybe more." I mulled it over in my head a moment before I saw the specter from my dreams appear across the river. I started a little, not expecting to see her. She began walking along the bank and I began following.

"Where are we going?" asked Perry.

"I don't really know," I replied. Though I couldn't see it, I could tell Perry must have rolled his eyes at this.

The river calmed down more and more the further along we went. It turned into a gentle stream. When I noticed Rosalynn's ghost still walked down the bank, I decided to cross the river to get to her side. "Penelope!" Perry reprimanded.

"It's not that bad, come on." Actually, the water was nearly freezing, but I kept going. We got ashore and I found Rosalynn had waited for us. She kept walking as soon as we made it to the shore.

We then found ourselves going through a crack in the wall. We climbed up, then down some more. Then, in the light of the flashlight, I saw something shine in the distance. I reared back, alarmed at first. I didn't want to lose Rosalynn though, so I kept going.

We walked into a cave and saw so many riches: gold, rubies, and other precious materials. Rosalynn stopped at a skeleton with a note in his hand. I took the note and read: " '_The Treasure of Tau, as buried by Tau, shall not see the surface unless it first passes through his hands once more.'"_

"Beautiful, aren't they?" came a voice behind us. We jerked around and there stood Tau. He walked forward and stood beside us, looking at the riches. "I began my mission taking any gifts the people might give me. I soon realized that the gold didn't help me, so, whenever someone was in poverty, I would try to help them. This worked for a time, but I soon had to bury it. Gold corrupts people's minds, fills them with greed, and that is not what I wanted. But, I guess I am far away from getting anything I want anymore." He went forward and picked up a handful of the riches. "What are these, after all, but bits and pieces of shiny metal and crystals of the earth? We can find them any other day, in any other way." He let them slip from one hand to the other.

He looked lost in thought for a few moments before picking up a small sack and handing it to me. "Here, Rose. Take this and return home. Give it to the people. I think there is enough there that it shouldn't cause too many problems." He gave a small smile.

"Tau, I cannot possibly accept this," I said.

"I insist. Besides, you're going to need something to do. I need your husband to stay here so that I may teach him my ways. I won't be able to be here for much longer and I need someone to carry on the legend," said Tau.

"Tau, please…" I said.

"I know… but this needs to happen, whether you like it or not."

I sighed. "All right, Tau. I'll take everyone home. I thank you for your hospitality, protection, and kindness." I gave a low curtsey to him before turning to Perry.

"I know, be careful," said Perry as I cupped his face in my hands. I swatted him on the arm.

"Oh, please, just a minute ago you were worrying about me. We have the right to worry about each other because we're in love," I said.

"We've had a lot of times in the past where you broke my heart. Keep it whole by staying alive so that when I die, I can die with you."

"Perry…" I kissed him deeply and his arms went around my waist. I didn't know how long we'd be apart this time, but I hoped beyond hope that this would be the last time. "I love you," I said when we broke apart.

"I love you, Pen, beyond my being."

We climbed back to the surface and woke up everybody for the trip home. After explaining what needed to happen, there were some tearful good-byes for Perry. We would all miss him.

They guided us out of the valley to the place where we had left the ship. It was covered in brush to disguise it and, upon uncovering it, it occurred to us how long we had been gone. Everyone back home would be worried sick.

After giving Perry one final kiss good-bye, I jumped into the cockpit and took off. I didn't look back, because I knew if I did, I wouldn't leave. Perhaps… perhaps it was all going the way it was supposed to and I should be happy, but a cloud rested over my heart and made it heavy.

On the flight, I explained to everyone what had happened and what we needed to do upon returning. It was decided that only they know about my higher intelligence and that no one else should know. This would make things simpler, especially considering the psycho I'd have to deal with when we got back. Doofenshmirtz, Isabella, Phineas, Ferb, Max, and I left Africa, leaving behind Perry. When his time came to return to us, he would and we would wait until then.

"This is absolutely inexcusable!" said Major Monogram to me when I went into his office and explained the story.

"Major, now that you've returned to the States and regained your past life, I would think you'd be a little more understanding of our situation," I said.

"It doesn't matter. The rules here at O.W.C.A. probably don't mean anything to you, but it is rules that we built to protect people."

"I understand that, Major, but I also understand that any more brain wiping would be useless at this point. Haven't you wondered at how quickly that veil can fall down again? Now, the kids have sworn to keep the secret safe and I am more than assured that Doofenshmirtz shall as well."

"And why is that?" the Major asked, amused.

"Because I just cleared his surrender to the side of good. He will now be working with ALPHA's staff, but his alias shall still be the evil scientist."

"Wouldn't that absolve him from crime then?"

"I have assigned an agent to shadow him and work with him. If Doofenshmirtz slips up, it shall be their fault. Everything shall be in check on that front."

"And what about Agent P? You just left him there in Africa?"

"He is in the best of hands receiving training from someone. He is no doubt learning things that are beyond anything else he has ever encountered."

"You told me about all of this, but it doesn't make the weight any lighter knowing that my best agent is now inaccessible to me."

"Which is why I shall be carrying on in Perry's place. I shall work the Doofenshmirtz case and do anything you ask on the condition that we work the rules of knowledge as I see fit."

It was a hard thing to ask, especially of a man that knew of his power as much as the major did. "Very well," he said, extending his hand to shake. "But, as soon as Agent P gets back, I am to be the first informed. Do you understand?"

"Of course, Major."

"Very good. You're dismissed." The major gave me a salute and I respectfully saluted back.

I went back to the surface and breathed in the smell of home: pie. I went onto all-fours and wandered around the house quietly. Linda called for her kids: "Who wants pie?"

I heard a chorus of "Me!" As they all came downstairs. The boys had a lot of catching up to do for homework. It was also a few days before the final exams. No fun until after the last bell of the school year.

The story they told their parents was this: They were given an educational opportunity to explore another culture. It was true that they had culture papers due, but their parents didn't know that they had fibbed about having to go and _experience _the culture. They were under constant supervision (that part was true) and they learned a lot. Seeing how much they had learned, the parents shrugged it off. Doofenshmirtz didn't have a problem at all waving off his absence as being part of an evil scheme.

As for me, I knew that Phineas and Ferb couldn't be my owners. Their parents and Candace didn't remember me, so it would only raise more questions. Perry's absence was due to the fact that the boys put him in a "pet spa." I didn't approve of the excuse, but I couldn't really come up with any other feasible excuse.

I visited the boys often and lived with little Maxwell in the tree in their backyard. One of their old plans left quite a living space in the tree. I also visited Perry's lair often to receive missions from Major Monogram on the subject of Doofenshmirtz (usually). Everything went along pretty normally, but without Perry there, it was far from ideal on most days. I just hoped that he could come back to us soon.

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**A little return to normal, but things will escalate again in the future. Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	15. Chapter 14: My Heart Returns

Chapter 14: My Heart Returns

Penelope

The months passed and it was now June. The boys had come home from school for the summer. They had already begun building new inventions, concocting ideas for the future, and defying what most would consider common science. I was proud of them, in a way.

Little Max didn't talk much anymore. He spent a lot of time in his room, particularly his closet. He was working on some sort of experiment. At least, that is what he told us. He never gave the particulars though. He probably grieves upon the loss of his sister, even though her name has not been mentioned since our return to Danville.

I was still doing Perry's job: filing paperwork, giving advice when needed, and going on missions. A few of these missions were rather grand, taking me to other countries to defeat evil. Most of the time though, I had my eye on Doofenshmirtz to make sure the public never entered any real danger. It was on one of these missions to Doofenshmirtz's that deserves reflection.

It was a beautiful summer day and I knew Phineas and Ferb were making the most of it. I think the plan had something to do with camping in the backyard. Anyway, I had lost track of the days with how busy I had been. So, when I was trapped in a birdcage only half-listening to Doofenshmirtz's scheme, I chanced to see the calendar on the wall. June 21st was circled and my heart became heavy with grief. _Our anniversary…_

I hugged my knees to my chest and stared sadly at the calendar before I had to turn my head downward to hide my tears. I don't know how long I had been crying before Doofenshmirtz suddenly came up and said, "Hey, Penelope, what's wrong?" I looked up at him, tears still coming down my face. "What happened? Here, let's get you out of there and we can talk." He opened the cage and took me into his arms. I curled into him and continued crying. He brought me to a barstool in his kitchen and sat me down.

I regained my dignity after a few moments and found he had placed a bowl of ice cream in front of me. He had his own and, after taking a scoop, said, "Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong? I can't very well go on with my evil scheme if you're not able to fight me."

"I would have been able, but I'm afraid my heart would have been elsewhere," I said sadly, stirring the spoon in my bowl.

"Is it Perry?"

"Today's date reminded me of him. He still hasn't returned and today's our anniversary. One year ago today, we made a commitment to each other… and now…" I scooped some ice cream into my mouth to chase the tears away.

"Hey, he'll be back. I know it. Perry is not the type of person to abandon those he cares about for any longer than he needs to."

"I just miss him." I wasn't sure if the ice cream was helping or using handfuls of dirt to fill a six foot deep hole. Either way, it still hurt.

Doofenshmirtz, seeming to have decided something, got up and went over to his device of the day. I walked over to him to see what he would do. I saw his hand lingering over the self-destruct button. He looked at me and me at him. "You might, uh… you might want to get out of here. This place explodes pretty easily," he said.

I smiled and said, "Thanks for everything."

He shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. Just come back whenever you're ready." My smile grew wider as I took the jetpack out of there. The normal explosion went off followed by a usual, "Curse you, Penelope the Platypus!"

I returned home, exhilarated to be done with work for the day, but at the same time, that crushing sadness returned. Perry still wasn't home. I went down into the backyard and attracted Phineas and Ferb's attention. They followed me into the tree and I told them how I was feeling.

"We miss him too, Penelope," said Phineas. Ferb nodded. I sighed.

"Do you suppose he'll ever come back?" asked Ferb.

"It's hard to say, but he surely wouldn't leave us behind," I said. Phineas scooped me up in a hug and I was glad for it. "We're family. It's a powerful bond for anyone to try and break."

"Why don't you come sleep with us tonight? It must get lonely on that high balcony at Dr. Doofenshmirtz's place," said Phineas.

"I will keep up my vigil every night, because my heart is telling me he will return. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but he'll return," I said.

"All right. Just be careful and take care of yourself," said Phineas.

"Always."

It was true. Every night, I would watch the horizon from that high balcony until I got too tired to watch anymore. The nights were always beautiful, but paled in comparison to how they could be, how I wanted them to be.

It was on this night that I watched and I looked at the stars and the moon, searching for any sign that he might return. It was lonely, but I wanted it to be that way. I wanted to be the only one there if Perry returned. _If? No, when._ I sighed.

The night was echoing with the sounds of the small city. Cars went by below and a thousand conversations, though unintelligible, reached my ears. _Lonely, lonely, quiet night._ It was usually that way. Sometimes, I'd have to break my watch to help someone in need, but otherwise, there I'd remain.

Then, in the midst of my thoughts, I heard something strange. I looked down and saw something rising out of the ground. It was heading up pretty quickly and I reared away from the balcony in shock. It stopped growing once it reached my field of view and I noticed it was a large flower bud. I was really confused. No plant grew this big unless mad science was involved and, last I checked, Doofenshmirtz didn't have any schemes for giant flowers. _A secret present for Cheryl, maybe? _The thought was quickly dismissed, but every possibility I came up with sounded more and more ridiculous.

_Then, _the flower bud began _opening. _I got my dagger out, ready to slice at anything, if needs be. I was surprised beyond reason when the flower bud opened and revealed Perry, _my _Perry, sitting in its center in Tau's clothes. He held the staff in his hand and wore the amulet around his neck. Black make-up covered his face and arms and he looked both stern and commanding and oddly at peace and loving. It was something I had never seen before. Forget there was a flower some 50 stories tall, Perry looked like… well, he looked like Tau.

"I don't believe you'll have a need for that," he said, indicating my dagger. I dropped it obediently. It was Perry's voice, but… "I know that a lot has changed in my appearance, but I promise, it's still me. I finished my training and I thought it might be nice if I returned on our anniversary with something for my wife." More flowers rose and from out of them came Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, and Maxwell. Doofenshmirtz came onto the balcony and pushed a button on a remote in his hand. The balcony instantly became decked out in lights, flowers, and a white arch.

"Perry… what are you-?" I asked before he put a finger on my bill and hushed me.

"I thought that, since only the agencies saw our marriage and we weren't able to include our friends that we might include them now, in our second wedding," said Perry.

"Second wedding?" I asked, breathless.

Perry got down on one knee and grabbed my hand. "The very fabric of nature has bound us together. We are contractually together. Now, now that I have come to know you, I want us to confirm our love so that we will never think of parting again. If you agree to this, I am with you no matter what scheme the Enigma comes up with, no matter what our emotions are, no matter what life throws at us. I am yours and you are mine, wholly and eternally. So, Penelope Rose Australis-Flynn, will you do me the honor of confirming our contract and making it an unbreakable covenant?"

I loved Perry, but it hadn't been since our honeymoon that I felt quite this many butterflies in my stomach. I couldn't stop smiling and now, tears of happiness came down my face. It took me a moment to shake out of the haze and actually give my answer. "Yes, Perry, yes." He smiled and stood up. He wiped the tears from my eyes and led me to the arch. Fireflies gathered around the flowers, making them seem like they were aglow. They gathered on the arch as well. No other lights were needed anymore.

The weasel that initiated us at our first wedding came up to us and brought Pinky and Roxie. It was as if we were getting married for the first time again. My heart was so light, I was scared that it might float out of me. Perry held my hands and kept me steady. We said our vows and many tears were shed.

After the official stuff was done, we went onto a part of the balcony that was bare. It was kept bare, I think, just so that we could dance. So we danced like we did on our birthdays and it occurred to me how little I had thought of our birthdays. We were both seven now, 35 in humans years. I certainly didn't feel the age. I felt the same way I did on our last birthdays and the same I did when we were young in Australia: young, alive, and happy.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, the flowers grew more around the balcony, blocking out the outside almost entirely. The moon showed through one opening at the top and, with the fireflies inside and the moon shining in from without, everything was beauty. Perry smiled at me as we danced. He hugged me close and we swayed back and forth. It was peace.

Perry then held me by my hands alone and, with his eyes only on me, he began to sing. "_I stand at your gate and the song that I sing is of moonlight. I stand and I wait for the touch of your hand in the June night. The roses are sighing a moonlight serenade._" I smiled and noticed gaps forming in the flowers to let in the light of the stars.

Perry continued, "_The stars are aglow and tonight, how their light sets me dreaming. My love, do you know that your eyes are like stars brightly beaming? I bring you and I sing you a moonlight serenade,_" we broke into a slow waltz as his baritone flowed into my ears. "_Let us stray till break of day in love's valley of dreams. Just you and I, a summer sky, a heavenly breeze… kissin' the trees…_" He only paused slightly, his eyes filled with passion. "_So, don't let me wait. Come to me, tenderly, in the June night. I stand at your gate and I sing you a song in the moonlight. A love song. My darling, a moonlight serenade…_" His voice trailed on that last note and I felt all of the emotions romance gives. It wasn't just being in love or a return to love, it was like falling in love all over again.

"Perry…" I sighed breathlessly. Our bills were close together and our eyes were dreamily focused on only us two.

"Perhaps it would be best if we went somewhere else to be alone. I know of a place in the forest that lends itself to concealment, privacy, and the _other _kind of romance." He grinned devilishly at me and I blushed deeply. He put an arm around my waist and hugged me close. One of the flowers, possibly the one he had come to me in, came close and surrounded us in its petals until it closed. From that moment until the early hours of the morning I knew nothing but Perry and me. He held me close, the dew surrounding us, before flowers began encircling us in a cocoon. We went to sleep and in my dreams, it was nothing but him and me.

When I awoke, we knew each other again and didn't return home until the late hours of that evening. Phineas and Ferb fabricated how Perry must have met me and fell in love. I was able to stay, in pet mode, in safer dwellings. Maxwell was under the protection of agents from both the O.W.C.A. and ALPHA and, whenever he was not doing his experiments, he was training to be an agent at the agency. All I knew was happiness and joy and love. A few weeks later, I knew something more, something else.

* * *

**Perry's back! I shall go more into detail on what Perry's training entailed in the next chapter. Also, if anyone has any ideas on what they'd like to see for the future, I'll consider incorporating them. I'm so excited for the next one that I'm running out of things that could or should be in this one. Let me know what you guys wanna see! Also, the song in this chapter is "Moonlight Serenade" by Frank Sinatra. It's a beautiful song, I totally recommend listening to it. I do not own the rights to it, BTW. I guess now the only questions are: What did Perry's training involve? What entails being the new Tau, in its entirety? What are the experiments Maxwell is working on? Should we be suspicious or are they harmless? What of the Enigma? What is he planning? Finally, just what is the something more that Penelope mentioned here? Is it good, bad, or neutral? We shall find out the answers to all of these questions before this one comes to an end. Please give me your input and theories in the reviews and please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**

**P.S. Refer to Chapter 16 in Book Three: The Agents on Asia for something else I intend to use in either this or the next story. ;) Laterz!**

**P.P.S. I have a poll on my profile. Please check it out and pick from one-three of the choices for what you want to see me write next. Thank you!**


	16. Chapter 15: Dark Clouds on the Horizon

Chapter 15: Dark Clouds on the Horizon

Perry

It was so good to be with Penelope again. It was like getting out of the pet crate after being cooped up in it on a long journey. Now that we were back together, we were inseparable.

Penelope made it known to me that the O.W.C.A. was still looking for me. It didn't take very long for the major and I to come to an understanding. Things went back to how they used to be before the Enigma's schemes drew us to Europe. The conditions were that I go back to work to keep Doofenshmirtz on the side of good, my son would be a junior agent, and Penelope would only interfere when the Enigma got involved. With the Enigma in prison though, it's not likely we'll work together again any time soon.

Max was doing very well at his training, but he would always go back to the tree to work on his experiments. Penelope and I began to worry for him, especially since he grew more secretive and reclusive with each passing day. As for Penelope, she was all right with the conditions set by the major. She knew how important it was to the major that his agents are clear of mind and keep their head in the game.

A few weeks after my return, I came home to find Penelope asleep in our bed, just as I left her. I smiled and knelt beside her. "You okay, Pen?" I asked.

She opened her eyes sleepily. "I didn't want to overwhelm you with too much information so soon after coming home," she replied. She propped herself up on her elbows, but she didn't leave her spot. I also noticed something else, something my animal senses detected before I could fully process it.

"Penelope, are you pregnant?" I asked. She nodded in reply with a smile. My smile grew as I asked, "How didn't I notice this sooner? Why didn't you tell me?"

"As I said, I didn't want to put too much on you at once. You've been pretty busy."

"How soon?"

"Any day. I actually don't feel like moving _because _I am so close."

Needless to say, the rest of the day was spent in making sure she had everything she needed. The eggs came later that evening. When I couldn't watch them, Phineas and Ferb checked in on Penelope for everything she needed. They even started sleeping downstairs with us to keep a better eye on them.

It was late that evening when they hatched. The boys and I tripped over each other to get the needed supplies and record the moment. It woke up the rest of the family, but I was soon lying beside Penelope, nuzzling the newborns. They were so small, just like Max and… Rosalynn were. It was the first time since coming home that I thought of my lost daughter. Penelope seemed to read my mind and nuzzled her bill by my ear. It comforted me a little.

The newborns were one boy and one girl. The boy was named by Penelope to be Jacob Michael Flynn. I named the girl Daisy Madeline Flynn. Jacob had his mother's changing blue eyes while Daisy had my constant brown ones. As they grew, Daisy followed after me and Jacob followed after Penelope. I wish I could say that Max was proud of being an older brother. The last words either of us heard from him were: "Please leave me to my experiments."

The next words we heard from Max were uttered on a harsh day in October. The newborns were still pretty small and weren't really saying many words yet. It was just Penelope, the kids, Phineas, Ferb, and I. Max came in drenched with rain. He took a plate of food and began to leave when Penelope stopped him. "You cannot mourn forever, Max," she said.

"It is easy for you to say that about a daughter you have so openly hated," replied Max.

"I didn't hate her, Max. I tried to love her as much as I could, but I won't sit here and deny the fact she was never really mine."

"Oh? Then what am I?"

"You're my son."

He stared intensely for a moment before saying, "You are no mother of mine." As he went outside and slammed the door, a clap of thunder sounded from outside. I looked over to Penelope and saw a look that usually meant she knew more than what she was saying.

She saw me looking and merely said, "The time is near."

* * *

Enigma

It was terrible being stuck inside of Phillip for as long as I had been. He was making a better effort to fight me off. I knew he couldn't keep this up forever. The time was coming nearer in spite of everything others were doing to put a stop to it. Phillip was growing weaker. Soon, I would have control again.

One evening while he was washing his face, I chose to make myself known to him again. When he looked in the mirror, he saw me staring back at him and he jumped back. I laughed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"My plans haven't changed, despite the passing of the months. You cannot contain me any more than you can prevent the future, for it is inevitable," I replied.

"What makes you so sure that I'll go along with this?"

"You won't want to, but you will have no other choice. All I need is for our dear nephew to touch our palm, then the spell will be nearly complete. He has tried to prevent us, but he is coming to realize the inevitability of this timeline." I smiled. "I _will _rule."

"You are rather near-sighted, don't you think? My sister will yet put a stop to you."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, she will be by our side."

"You're sick."

"No more so than you are, Phillip." He gave me a look of confusion and I went on, "Tell me, has it ever occurred to you that maybe we aren't so different after all? Oh, wait, you have considered it, because _I _am _you. _I know every thought you are having now, I know every thought you had then, I especially know every dark, twisted secret you keep hidden to yourself."

"You're lying."

"Am I? When you were Derek, did you not lust after her?"

"I… I had no remembrance of her. She is an attractive creature, to be sure, but to say I have ever lusted for her in all my sanity and remembrance of who she is that's…"

"Immoral? Yes, yes it is, yet you thought it. Phillip, I am a manifestation of all your darkest desires, the consummation of every dark, dirty, twisted sense of being. I am you, Phillip. To get rid of me, to even resist me further would only be fighting yourself."

"I-"

"You know it to be true, Phillip. You want to make Penelope yours as much as I want to make her mine. You can have her, you can see every desire of yours come to pass, you can rule the world… all you have to do is touch my hand and let me have control."

"If I do that, millions, no, billions, will suffer. I would sooner die than subject the world to you."

I laughed. "You wouldn't kill us, Phillip. She would be heartbroken. Please, do us all a favor and live." I put my right hand against the glass. "Just one touch and all of your problems will disappear forever." I smiled invitingly, but I knew how this was going to end.

* * *

Maxwell Austin Flynn

I was a fool. I had thought myself intelligent, convinced myself that it was so, but now, there was no denying it. All of my research, all of my efforts were in vain.

Apparently, my mother had safe-guarded Rosalynn and I from birth with a spell to protect us from immortal spirits. However, this did not protect me from such mortal forces as the Enigma. I tried so many times to find a spell that would work. The only one that came close was one that would trade one evil for another: protecting me from mortal hands, while leaving me susceptible to immortals.

Ever since I was young, I felt a tugging at my spirit, at my very soul. I knew not what it was. It was only a coincidence that I found a spell called "Mirror" that would allow me to look into any time, any dimension that I wished. I knew not what the text was until after I read it and by then, it was too late. My mind is, even now, in a constant state of movement. I can see everything in the future weeks, months, years before it is to come to pass. I was only able to see the past once. It was then I discovered that my mother had agreed to give the spirits my innocence in return for Phineas's life. At first, I knew not why this was, but as I began seeing forward, it became clear.

At first, it was fun to see everything before it happened. I could revel in the fact that everything I saw would come to pass before my eyes. Soon, however, it became painful and a tax upon my mind. I knew not the present from the future, that which must be to that which might be. In these visions, I saw war, destruction, and my uncle in the form of the Enigma. Everything was red… oh, so red. There was only one hope and that hope was Phineas. He was born during a time split and sheltered from its ill effects. He and my mother would come to be a powerful force for good, but him especially. The spirits could not have my innocence because of Penelope's spell, but the timeline cannot go forward unless I lose my innocence. There is no other recourse. I must do that which I had been fearing since the beginning: pay a visit to my uncle.

So it was that after my training one rainy October evening, I came home. I looked upon my family and saw their oblivious faces. I saw my younger siblings and my heart ached for them. I said words I did not fully mean. My actions with them had been cold and distant. I did not want my parting from them to be painful. It would be better for them if they forgot me. I decided then to visit my uncle.

When I arrived at the prison, I heard him speaking in his cell. I happened to glance in and saw the figure of the Enigma in the mirror. The time… the time was very near. I watched as my uncle, Phillip, went toward the mirror. If I spoke out, I could prevent a lot of hardship and heartbreak, but that timeline was to be feared more. I said nothing then and watched as my uncle's body was consumed by the Enigma. He turned around and saw me and he looked at me with a cloudy brown left eye and a glowing red right eye.

"Ah, dear nephew, I have been expecting you. You are the one person I can be myself around. It's rather refreshing," he commented.

"I know what must happen and I am prepared," I said.

"Of course you are, otherwise you wouldn't have come. In doing this, you can, in the end, prevent your mother from dying at a premature age. You should be aware, however, that it will take some time before the glory days occur."

"I am prepared to wait as long as it takes. My mother and father have taught me a great lesson: stand up and fight for what is right. Even though helping you now may not seem like the right thing to do, it shall prove to be pivotal for the future ahead."

"It's good that someone agrees with me." He put out his hand. I smiled, knowing that he hadn't seen the future I had seen. He could look no further beyond his own success. I took my hand in his and felt a drain on my body and heart. When he had pulled away, it was clear something was missing.

The Enigma took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, my boy. I need only Doofenshmirtz to make my plan complete. Meanwhile, let's keep this between you and I for a while, all right?"

"Your secret's my secret, Uncle," I said.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait. I hope it was worth it! Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)**


	17. Chapter 16: The Completion

Chapter 16: The Completion

Enigma

My plan was almost complete. I only needed Doofenshmirtz. Through his magical soul, I could harness that power and unleash the Chronological Distortion. Finally, I could have everything I ever wanted… and no one could stop me this time.

It was rather fortunate, then, when Doofenshmirtz came down to my cell with food for me. When he approached, he didn't seem to notice the change straight away. "What's up with your eye?" he asked.

My eye gave me away. _Curse you, Silver Viper, _I thought. "I suppose you have me, Doctor," I said. He began backing away, but I caught his wrist just in time. I felt a surge of power flow through me. In one moment, I was in a platypus body. In the next moment, I was in the body of a man. Doofenshmirtz and I switched bodies.

"Aw, man, I'm a platypus again," said Doofenshmirtz. The voice was still my own, but his expressions were far different.

"Well, Doctor, this is the fruit you yield when you trust an enigma," I said. I cringed at the sound of the doctor's voice on my tongue. I hated it. Nonetheless, I had a plan… and this would not impede me. I was too close to let anything impede me.

"Hey, what are you going to do with my body?"

"Oh, I'm not sure, really… perhaps I'll start a Chronological Distortion."

"That sounds vaguely familiar… like from the last story familiar."

"Do not break the fourth wall while I am telling you my plan!" The platypus shrunk under my tone and I continued, "Now, I shall put us back in time and take away everyone's memories. They shall have no semblance of who they were nor will they remember a thing about themselves. They won't find it strange to be in a different time, because, to them, they will have always been in that time. Perhaps I can make it the same day every day… hmm, decisions, decisions…"

"You'll never get away with this, you know."

"Oh, halt your prattle. I have been destined to rule from birth. I have been destined to have everything I want. Soon, everything shall fall into place. Now, former human, watch as I wield your magic." I went over to the other wall and pressed a hidden button. A panel opened, revealing many weapons from enemies of the O.W.C.A. and ALPHA. I picked out my staff. It was much smaller than I remembered.

Doofenshmirtz laughed.

"Quiet!" The platypus shrunk away and I huffed in anger. The staff in my hand began to glow and extended to a reasonable height. I hummed in satisfaction. I then went to the center of the room. I looked around at all the other cells. I smiled. I waved the staff and all but one cell opened. I couldn't let the doctor take his body back so soon, after all. The criminals were happy to be free, but I said, "Serve me or remain in your cells." They chose to serve me. They surrounded me. "Bow, bow before the Engima." They bowed.

"So much to do in so little time…" I said. "Actually… we have all the time we could possibly want, don't we?" I looked to the ball at the head of my staff and petted it affectionately. "Time for the spell to begin."

* * *

Penelope

I jolted awake. The young ones were asleep beside me and Perry was just beyond them. I shook him awake. "Mm? Pen?" he asked groggily.

"We have to go," I said.

"What's going on?"

"It's beginning. Take the children, take _everyone, _to safety."

"Okay. What are you going to do?"

"It's time I try something." I turned on a lamp and took out a blueprint from a hidden drawer. "This bike is designed to travel through time. I have a prototype ready to go. If I go ahead in time, I can save you all without having my mind wiped."

"No, Pen, you've done so much for us already. Let me take this one."

"Perry…"

"Penelope." His voice was stern and filled with concern. "Just tell me what you would have me do."

I sighed. "Then, I guess I have no choice." I took the translator scarab from around my neck and pressed the little red button. It was the button that called for an SOS. ALPHA agents would come and do what they were supposed to do. They came mere seconds after my pressing it. In the scuffle with them trying to capture Perry, I slipped away, but not before slipping one of them a note. The note read:

_Keep everyone safe and make sure I am not followed._

Everything had been prepared hours prior. I felt that the end was near… I just didn't know how near it would be. Funny thing about the future: it comes, but you just aren't sure when it will come. With these thoughts, I made my way to the tunnels. Perry's lair was connected with a lair of my own. It was a smaller room in which I kept only that which I wanted hidden. The bike was there. I had to get it above ground and up to speed.

I pressed a button that took me, on a platform, to the surface. I appeared on the sidewalk just in front of the Flynn-Fletcher house. Lights were turning on all over the neighborhood. I would have the O.W.C.A. on my butt soon enough. This might have broken a few of the terms set by the major. _That can't be helped now, _I thought. I put on the suit and helmet and boarded the bike. Just as I did though, I felt the earth shake and the sky was darkening with an other-worldly menace. I started the bike and revved it up. 120 mph. That was the speed I needed. Of course, it's a little hard to get up to speed with all the obstacles…

* * *

Enigma

I smashed the ground with the staff. A crack formed and I smiled. "Come, gentlemen, let's give them a reason to rise up," I said. A fire was started, a pot was put on it, and I threw various items into it. It was an evil savor, meant to summon evil spirits.

I cleared my throat and sang (as best as this body could muster). "_In the dark of the night, I was tossing and turning and the nightmare I had was as bad as can be. It scared me out of my wits, a corpse falling to bits! Then, I opened my eyes and the nightmare was me!_" I waved my staff and energy snapped from it. "_I was once the most mystical man in all Russia!_"

"_Ooh ahh ooh,_" the earth trembled with other voices.

"_When they betrayed me, they made a mistake!_"

"_Ooh ahh ooh._"

"_My curse made each of them pay, so what if a few got away? You'd better beware, I'm now awake!_"

"_In the dark of the night, evil will find them. In the dark of the night, just before dawn!_"

"_Revenge will be sweet when the curse is complete! In the dark of the night… they'll be gone!_" In the pot swirled images of Penelope. She was boarding a bike, no doubt trying to escape. I smiled. I would have them all yet.

Spirits moaned as a few of them rose from the crack like a mist.

"_I can feel my new powers surging,_" I said. "_Tie my sash and a dash of cologne for that smell!_" The spirits gave me a robe, one that had been mine in Asia, sized perfectly for this body. The smell of death and sinister forces reeked through the room. The smell was like sweet, freshly-baked bread to me. "_As the pieces fall into place, I'll see them crawl into place. Goodbye, so long, and fair well._" My hair was combed down onto the left side, as I had worn it in Europe.

"_In the dark of the night, terror will strike them!_" Sang the spirits.

I watched the image of Penelope as she tried to flee the spirits and agents trying to come after her. "_Terror's the least I can do!_" I sang triumphantly.

"_In the dark of the night, evil will brew…_"

"_Soon, she will feel that her nightmares are real. In the dark of the night, she'll be through!_"

"_In the dark of the night, evil will find her. In the dark of the night, terror comes true!_"

"_My dear, here's a sign, it's the end of the line!_" I pounded at the crack more and more, making it a good-sized hole.

"_In the dark of the night, in the dark of the night…_" They were subdued a moment before they all rushed out of the hole like a flood.

"_Come, my minions, rise for your master, let your evil shine!_"

"_In the dark of the night, in the dark of the night._"

"_Find them now! Yes, fly ever faster!_"

"_In the dark of the night, in the dark of the night, in the dark of the night!_"

"SHE'LL BE MINE!" I screamed. I laughed long and hard. Victory was at hand. The winds blew hard as the walls began tumbling away. The brew spilled and my newfound minions tried to run, but were picked up by the wind. Darkness surrounded. I laughed… and laughed… and laughed. Victory was mine. Once the spell was complete, I would awake in my old body and everything would finally be going my way.

I made my way over to the doctor in my body. I reached out to touch him, but was thrown back. "What is this?! What's happening?! What did YOU DO?!" The doctor shook in fear and I quickly realized my mistake. I would be stuck in this form until the spell was broken. I fell to my knees, threw my head back, and screamed: "CURSE YOU, PENELOPE!"

* * *

Penelope

It was getting progressively harder to dodge them. Darkness surrounded. I didn't have much longer. I needed to get up to speed. I saw the city limits coming to an end and I realized I would have a good stretch of road ahead… but I was blocked. My tires squealed as I turned the opposite way. The bike was taking more abuse than I meant it to. They were forcing me back toward my starting point. I growled in frustration.

I turned another corner and saw a clear stretch ahead. I pushed hard. The speedometer needle flew to the right quickly. It wasn't long before light flashed before me, blue and white. I heard loud crackling and booming, as if I was leaving all barriers behind me. It was then too cold and too hot before I was back to reality… or some form of it.

I turned the bike around and slowed it to a halt. I had one foot on the pavement, the engine idling, as I took in my surroundings. Despite the different colors, everything looked exactly the same. _What happened? _I thought. It couldn't be that I had gone wrong in my calculations, could it? I was certainly not in a different time line. I saw the black streaks from my bike on the pavement, still fresh from my emergence. _Where did I go wrong? Everything should look entirely different._

Suddenly, I was surrounded by a few large floating robots. My heart sank to my stomach and dread filled me. They had faces like Doofenshmirtz's robot, Norm, had. "May I please see your identification?" asked one of them pleasantly.

_Have I gone too far? Was I completely off base with this whole thing? _The Norm's head changed to a helmet of black and red. This one had a voice that was _not _pleasant that said, "Show us your papers or die."

"Eep," I said nervously. One of them shot a laser at me and I took it as my cue to leave. I revved up the bike and shot away. A chase ensued as I went down many of the same streets I had took to avoid the baddies from a few moments before. These were all the same streets, but… different. Another shot came at me and I was thrown from the bike. I fell to the ground, hard, on my back. My vision was blurring and I was aware of the fact that I was being surrounded. I tried to shake away the oncoming concussion, but I was seized in the grip of one of their metal claws. It was not pleasant. _What did _I _do? _I thought. I felt the grip tighten a little bit and I felt that, yes, the end was near… nearer than I would have liked it to be. "_Ack,_" I was struggling with words as I felt my breath coming harder. "_Help…_" Who could help me now? I just realized… I was alone. This was the end… and I was alone.

To be continued…

* * *

**Well, that's all for this story. Please be sure to come back for the next one. Thank you to the creators of ****_Phineas &amp; Ferb. _****Without them, this series would not be. I want to give thanks to all of my reviewers: Ficklepickle7, waffleman1314-AJ ThaPlatypus, niko, Platyfan 101, Esperanza Hyde the Vamp Queen, Rick Milde, Me (guest reviewer), and Random Reviewer. Thank you to all of my followers: Darkhorse Douglas, Esperanza Hyde the Vamp Queen, Pennyflower, Platyfan 101, Rick Milde, TheGreatGodzilla, and renanfelipe96. Also, thanks to all of the people who chose this as one of their favorites: Esperanza Hyde the Vamp Queen, Keyblade132, LoneWolf180, Pennyflower, Platyfan 101, Rick Milde, TheGreatGodzilla, and renanfelipe96. There's also another I would like to thank… yes, you on your laptop. Yes, you in your pajamas peering at the screen and hurting your eyes. Yes, you, my wonderful reader. Thank you so much. The song in this chapter was "In the Dark of the Night" from the movie ****_Anastasia. _****All rights go to their proper owners. Feel free to listen while you read ;) Until I can put up the next one, I urge you all to check out the rest of the series (it goes in this order): ****_The Agents from Down Under, The Agents in Europe, _****and ****_The Agents on Asia. _****Also, if you'd like to check out my other ****_Phineas &amp; Ferb_**** stories, I have ****_Guilty Innocents, The Agents in the Three Musketeers, _****and ****_The Agents of the Opera_****, all of which feature my OCs and some other goodies ;) I have a forum featuring spots to discuss favorite characters, current stories, and ideas for future stories. You can also PM me with any ideas you may have. (Hint: the next one's taking place in North America with South America, possibly.) If you want to check out other stories with cool plots/OCs, I have a community specifically committed to Perry/OC romances and adventures written by me as well as other cool authors. Thanks again for reading. Until next time, laterz ;)**


	18. Next Time

**In the next ****_Agents _****story:**

* * *

"Perry, would you mind explaining yourself?" I asked.

* * *

"MEAP!"

* * *

"Did you know there was a giant floating baby head in your backyard?" he asked.

I looked and replied, "Yeah, he comes and goes."

* * *

"Look, we'd love to send you home, but you're not exactly a priority right now. We have bigger fish to fry," she said.

* * *

"I might have expected this behavior from you, but _you?! _I mean, really now! You've lost your head completely, haven't you?"

* * *

_I've never felt more alone than I do now. She comes in my dreams, then she fades away. It's so real, it's like a memory, but is it really a memory I'd like to have? No. Every time I see her, it's too much of a heartache, too much of a pain. When life hands you lemons, they tell you to make lemonade out of it. So, when life hands you a gun, what else are you supposed to do?_

* * *

"_And…_ I'm still a platypus. Great," he said. I slapped a hand to my face. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Well, I guess I'm the Enigma now."

* * *

**Stay tuned for the next ****_Agents _****story: ****_The Agents Past America._**

**Feel free to theorize in the reviews as to who's saying what and what all of this could mean for the story to come. Also, feel free to give me your ideas. The next one will be coming soon ;)**


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